I two have had problems at work and havn't been in work for 2weeks and have got another week off but have told work that i have a virus and i'm hoping i'm alright to go in next tuesday its hard not to be critical about your self when ya suffer from anxiety.

Hey...know the feeling too...it's been 1 1/2 weeks for me...and I LOVE MY JOB....tomorrow is another day...all we can do is try...

Yes my work is extremely stressful. There's people quitting, new people starting, deadlines, the company is for sale, people got laid off, I have to supervise people, blah, blah, blah. I take my calms forte herbs at work if I start feeling anxious or stressed and that helps. Also tension tamer tea

I've been critical too of myself and started making more mistakes because of my fear of making mistakes. What helps is giving myself compliments when I do things right. It gives perspective. You're not doing everything wrong. Realize that everybody makes mistakes. You probably think, just like me, that no one does. Your collegues won't advertise their mistakes but it doesn't mean they don't make them. We all do. I'm using the Sedona method (just the basic exercise that's on their website for free) to let go of the fear. Another thing that's helped me is a session with a coach about this. I don't want to advertise here but you usually can get a free session with someone to see if it's something for you. Although I'm all for self help methods, if it's a difficult area I find the help of another person who doesn't have the same difficulties helpful.

I had to take 2 months off work to get life organized but once I did everything just cleared up and mostly went away

As someone who supervises people. I'll say that being critical of yourself is really self destructive. I have an assistant that lacks confidence in her work. I try to motivate her and say "you'll figure it out, you're great at that...or you understood perfectly what the project was...don't underestimate yourself." She's gotten better but still has bouts of saying stuff like "I'm too stupid to figure this out." Sometimes things are over her head but most of the time she underestimates herself. And if something is over her head it usually is something that is complex. I guess what I'm saying is have confidence in your work and the results will follow. Don't negative talk yourself

Stefunny, I have the same issues you do. I've resigned from my job in January and I'm just now starting to feel ready to go back. My perfectionist tendencies were really hurting me and my work. I'm working hard on learning to relax and manage stress better. I think I have some better tools to arm myself with, but it's hard to admit and accept that we are not perfect. Once we are comfortable with our imperfections, we will love ourselves better.

yep, apincy, I can totally relate. I am a perfectionist and it keeps me from relaxing and managing stress. I am getting better at accepting imperfections, but it is taking conscious daily practice

What is it about us perfectionists that makes us prone to anxiety and other issues like OCD? Do you find you are also a very passionate person?

yes, I was thinking about that yesterday. I do not want to live an ordinary life, I wish I were an artist but I have not found the right outlet