Marilyn Mendoza, Ph.D., is a clinical instructor in the psychiatry department at Tulane University Medical Center and a private practice psychologist specializing in bereavement. She is also the author of We Do Not Die Alone.
When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires.