More Than Dotting Your I's and Crossing Your T's: The Dangers of Perfectionism

Remember that girl in high school who was in every single club photo in the yearbook? She threw herself into three sports teams, the band, the drama club, and National Honors Society. On top of her hectic extra-curriculars, this girl maintained a high GPA and graduated with honors. And this is not an exaggeration; it's the true story of a girl named Andrea. “My friends called me ‘O.A.,’ short for ‘over-achiever,’ as everything had to be perfect and done my way,” Andrea admits.
 
As a freshman at Western Michigan University, Andrea tried to keep the stress-free schedule she never had in high school. But by the time her sophomore year rolled around, Andrea had returned to her old habits. By her senior year, she was the president of Kappa Phi, a Fall Welcome Ambassador, an editor and writer of the WMU branch of Her Campus, a member of several on-campus clubs, held two part-time jobs and an internship, and managed a full course load. “I was always told to not take on too many things like I did in high school, but I just couldn't stop. My organization skills and time management were amazing, but my health was catching up,” she says. Before long, Andrea was hospitalized with ulcerative colitis brought on by stress.
 
Although Andrea graduated from WMU in May 2010, her health problems have persisted. Between working part-time, searching for a full-time job, planning her upcoming wedding with her fiancé, and staying involved with Her Campus and Kappa Phi, among other activities, she doesn’t have much time to relax. She explains, “I don't think I will ever stop being a perfectionist, even though I know how much it hurts me.”
 
Jessica, a junior at the College of William & Mary, had a similar experience. “I let the stress of business school get to me to the point where I would go twenty-four hours without eating or taking breaks from homework and group projects. I didn't trust my group members, so I ended up re-doing all of their work myself. I lost eight pounds, my skin started breaking out, and my relationship with my boyfriend revolved around stress and unhappiness. I even quit dance team, because I felt like I couldn't be a perfect student and a perfect team member at the same time,” she says.
 
Andrea and Jessica aren't alone. “I know of several students who have had emotional breakdowns and had to withdraw from school because of all the pressure,” says Chrissy Callahan, Her Campus's Beauty Blog Editor who graduates from Brandeis this month.