When Perfect Isn't Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism

It's only natural to want to avoid making mistakes, but imperfection is a part of being human. And while perfectionists are often praised for their abilities, being constantly anxious about details can hold you back and keep you from reaching your full potential.

In this fully revised and updated second edition of When Perfect Isn't Good Enough, you'll discover the root cause of your perfectionism, explore the impact of perfectionism on your life, and find new, proven-effective coping skills to help you overcome your anxiety about making mistakes. This guide also includes tips for dealing with other perfectionists and discussions about how perfectionism is linked to worry, depression, anger, social anxiety, and body image. As you complete the exercises in this book, you'll find it easier and easier to keep worries at bay and enjoy life — imperfections and all.

This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto, ON, Canada. He is also director of research at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, ON. He has published twenty-one books and more than one hundred scientific papers and book chapters in the areas of cognitive behavior therapy and anxiety disorders. He has received early career awards from the Society of Clinical Psychology (American Psychological Association), the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and is a fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations. He is past president of the Anxiety Disorders Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and has been program chair for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies annual conference guide annual convention. He is actively involved in clinical research in the area of anxiety disorders, teaching, and education, and he maintains a private clinical practice.

Richard P. Swinson, MD, is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada, a position he has held since October 1997. He is also the inaugural holder of the Morgan Firestone Chair in Psychiatry. Dr. Swinson is also psychiatrist-in-chief at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, where he is the medical director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre.

Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto, ON, Canada. He is also director of research at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, ON, Canada, and president-elect of the Canadian Psychological Association. He has published twenty-five books and more than one hundred scientific papers and book chapters in the areas of cognitive behavior therapy and anxiety disorders. He has received early career awards from the Society of Clinical Psychology (American Psychological Association), the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and is a fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations. He is past president of the Anxiety Disorders Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and has been program chair for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies annual conference guide annual convention. He is actively involved in clinical research in the area of anxiety disorders, teaching, and education, and he maintains a private clinical practice. Antony lives in Toronto, ON, Canada.

Richard P. Swinson, MD, is professor emeritus and past chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada. He is also medical director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre and past psychiatrist-in-chief at Joseph's Healthcare, also in Hamilton. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists UK. He was awarded an inaugural fellowship of the Canadian Psychiatric Association in 2006. His research interests lie in the theory, assessment, and treatment of anxiety disorders, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, thirty book chapters, and eight books. Dr. Swinson has held numerous research grants since 1966 and has been an invited speaker at many conferences around the world on anxiety disorders and substance abuse disorders. He also chaired the steering committee for the Canadian Anxiety Treatment Guidelines Initiative, leading to the publication of Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Anxiety Disorders in 2006. He lives in Toronto, ON, Canada.