70 Good Journal Prompts for Perfectionism and Self-Criticism

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A list of good journal questions for perfectionism

In this blog post, I’ve put together some journal prompts for perfectionism to help you work through your perfectionism. These prompts will help you reflect on your beliefs, celebrate your efforts, and learn to embrace imperfection.

Have you ever felt like you have to do everything perfectly or that anything less just isn’t good enough? I’ve been there too! It can be exhausting and stressful to constantly chase that perfect outcome.

That’s when I turned to journaling—it really helped me understand my feelings and let go of that need to be perfect.

Journaling is a fantastic way to explore your thoughts about perfectionism. Writing helps you see where those feelings come from and how they affect your life.

It gives you a chance to challenge those high standards and discover that it’s totally okay to make mistakes.

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70 shadow work writing prompts about perfectionism:

20 inner critic journal prompts

  1. What are the common thoughts or messages that your inner critic tends to repeat?
  2. When did you first start noticing the voice of your inner critic? Can you think of anything specific that makes it louder?
  3. How does your inner critic affect your thoughts, feelings, and actions?
  4. What are the beliefs or fears that drive your inner critic’s need for perfection?
  5. Can you find any positive reasons or protective factors behind your inner critic’s voice?
  6. How does your inner critic compare your worth to achievements or validation from others?
  7. What would your life be like if you didn’t listen to your inner critic’s demand for perfection?
  8. Are there patterns or situations where your inner critic becomes stronger? Think about those.
  9. How has your inner critic affected your relationships with others? Can you think of times when it made it difficult to connect with or understand others?
  10. Can you find moments where your inner critic’s voice might be helpful or supportive? Think about those.
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  1. How does your inner critic make you doubt yourself and fear failure?
  2. In what ways does your inner critic make you feel less confident and have lower self-esteem?
  3. How does your inner critic make it hard for you to take risks and try new things?
  4. Think about a recent experience where your inner critic was very loud. How did it make you feel and act?
  5. What can you do to quiet your inner critic and be kinder to yourself?
  6. How can you change the negative things your inner critic says into positive and supportive thoughts?
  7. Think about the standards and expectations your inner critic sets for you. Are they realistic and possible?
  8. How does comparing yourself to others make your inner critic louder? How can you focus more on accepting yourself?
  9. How does taking care of yourself help quiet your inner critic and be kind to yourself?
  10. Write a letter to yourself, giving encouragement and addressing the worries and doubts from your inner critic.
journaling aesthetic

20 writing prompts for great expectations

  1. What are some goals or hopes you have for yourself that are really hard to reach? How do these goals make you feel like you need to be perfect?
  2. Think about where these high expectations come from. Are they influenced by what society wants, your family, or things that have happened in your life?
  3. How do these high expectations affect how you feel and your mental health?
  4. Can you find areas in your life where setting more realistic goals would help you feel more peaceful and happy?
  5. How do your high expectations make it hard for you to enjoy the present moment and be proud of your small successes?
  6. Are there other ways to think about things or beliefs that could help you see success differently and let go of needing to be perfect?
  7. How can you balance wanting to do your best with being kind to yourself and accepting that nobody is perfect?
  8. Think about times when your high expectations made you feel overwhelmed or tired. How can you approach things in a healthier way in the future?
  9. What can you learn from times when your high expectations were not met? How can those experiences help you set better goals next time?
  10. Imagine a life where you let go of needing high expectations. How would that feel? What new opportunities would open up for you?
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  1. How does having high expectations make it hard for you to try new things and take risks?
  2. Think about how society and culture influence what you expect from yourself. How can you question and change those expectations?
  3. What can you do to set goals that are more realistic and possible for you?
  4. How can you focus more on finding fulfillment and growing from within instead of seeking validation from others?
  5. Explore any perfectionistic tendencies that come from wanting to meet or go beyond what others expect.
  6. How can you celebrate progress and small achievements instead of only thinking about the final outcome?
  7. What can you do to let go of the need for perfection and be kinder to yourself while working towards your goals?
  8. Think about the values and things that are important to you. How can you set expectations that align with those values?
  9. How can you make self-reflection and taking care of yourself part of the process of setting goals to find a healthy balance?
  10. Write a statement or affirmation that shows your commitment to letting go of high expectations and finding a more balanced and authentic way of living.
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20 shadow work journal prompts for your perfectionism journal

  1. Think about a time when wanting everything to be perfect stopped you from doing something. How did that make you feel, and what thoughts came to your mind?
  2. Can you remember any experiences or things people told you when you were younger that made you want to be perfect? How do those things still affect you today?
  3. Explore any fears or worries that make you feel like you have to be perfect. Where do those feelings come from?
  4. How has wanting to be perfect changed how you feel about yourself and how you see your worth? Are there parts of your life where this has been difficult for you?
  5. Think about times when you felt ashamed or judged yourself because you thought you weren’t perfect. How did that affect how you see yourself and how you relate to others?
  6. Are there parts of yourself that you feel you need to hide or make perfect? How can you accept and celebrate who you really are instead?
  7. Can you find times when you did things that weren’t what you wanted because you wanted to be perfect? How does that show up in your life?
  8. Explore any situations where wanting to be perfect has stopped you from growing or reaching your potential. What opportunities have you missed because of it?
  9. How does wanting to be perfect make it hard for you to take risks or try new things? Think about times when you could have grown or tried something new but didn’t because of this.
  10. Imagine a life where you don’t need to be perfect. How would that free you? What new opportunities would become possible for you?
You might also like: Practical Journaling Prompts for Inner Peace and Healing
  1. How does wanting everything to be perfect affect your relationships with others? Can you think of times when it made it hard to connect or caused problems?
  2. Think about times when you wanted to be perfect because you were scared of failing or making mistakes. How can you view failure as a chance to learn and grow instead?
  3. Consider how being kind to yourself can help you overcome perfectionism. How can you be more understanding and forgiving toward yourself?
  4. How do you define perfection? Is it something everyone agrees on, or is it different for each person? How can you think about perfection in a way that makes you feel better?
  5. Can you find patterns in your thinking where you see things as either perfect or not good enough? How can you be more flexible and accept that things don’t have to be perfect?
  6. Reflect on how comparing yourself to others and wanting their approval makes you want to be perfect. How can you focus more on yourself and what you think is important, measuring success based on your own values and progress?
  7. How does taking care of yourself help with perfectionism? What things can you do to support your well-being?
  8. Think about times when letting go of perfection and accepting imperfections led to good things or helped you grow.
  9. How can you view mistakes and things not going as planned as chances to learn instead of thinking they mean you failed?
  10. Write a letter to your perfectionistic side, thanking it for trying to protect you, and tell it that you want to let go and find a more balanced way to live.
journaling aesthetic

10 coaching questions for perfectionism

  1. What are some ways you think perfectionism helps you in your life? Do you think those benefits are worth the negative things that come with it?
  2. How would your life be different if you focused on making progress towards your goals instead of trying to be perfect?
  3. Can you think of any different ways of thinking or beliefs that could help you move away from wanting to be perfect?
  4. How can you be kind to yourself and accept yourself when you think you’ve failed or when things aren’t perfect?
  5. What kind of support or resources can you use to help you stop being a perfectionist?
  6. How can you find a balance between pushing yourself to grow and giving yourself room to make mistakes and learn?
  7. Have there been any strategies or things that have helped you deal with being a perfectionist before? How can you use them now?
  8. What can you do to define success in a way that matches what’s important to you and helps you feel good?
  9. How can you celebrate and recognize the progress you make and the effort you put in, even when it’s not perfect?
  10. Who can you talk to for help, advice, or support as you try to stop being a perfectionist?
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FAQ: What is perfectionism, and how can journaling reduce my perfectionism and self-criticism?

Perfectionism is when you feel like you have to be perfect all the time. It’s like having a strict teacher in your head who always wants you to do everything flawlessly.

This can make you feel stressed because you’re scared of making mistakes or being judged by others. Perfectionists often think that their worth depends on how well they perform, which is exhausting and takes away the joy in what they do.

Journaling can be a great way to help you deal with perfectionism.

Journaling gives you a safe place to write down your feelings and thoughts without worrying about being judged. It helps you understand your perfectionist ways better.

When you write in your journal, you can think about why you feel the need to be perfect. This helps you notice the patterns of self-criticism in your thoughts.

Writing lets you see how you talk to yourself. You can find those negative thoughts and change them into kinder ones. For example, instead of saying, “I have to be perfect,” you can write, “It’s okay to make mistakes.”

You can use your journal to write encouraging letters to yourself. This helps you forgive yourself for mistakes and celebrate small achievements.

Journaling helps you understand that it’s okay not to be perfect. You learn to accept that growth and learning are more important than being flawless.

Regularly journaling helps you recognize when you’re being too hard on yourself. This awareness gives you the power to choose a different path—one that embraces being real and accepting your imperfections.

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