Overcome overthinking and perfectionism

If you find that it is impossible to switch off your mind from — replaying conversations, worrying about mistakes, or endlessly tweaking your work — you’re not alone! Majority of high-achieving professionals in London struggle with overthinking and perfectionism.

This is because you care deeply about your work, making the right first impression, staying on top of your game and showing that you are capable enough. However, the more you do, the higher you achieve it seems like there is always something more that needs fixing and something more that you need to prove.

If that sounds familiar, keep reading!

Let’s talk about why this happens — and how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help you break the cycle.

3 Signs You Might Be Stuck in Overthinking and Perfectionism

1. You replay conversations and situations in your mind over and over again - pulling your performance apart

You find it hard to stop analysing the way you spoke in that meeting, you wonder if your email reply was good enough or did it come across the wrong way, you worry if you said the wrong things and came across in a certain way. You are stuck in those loops of analysing everything but you still don't feel any clearer - just lower, more anxious and a lot more self-critical.

2. You are putting things off until they are “perfect”

You might delay finishing off reports, presentations, emails because you worry that they are not good enough. In your professional and private life, you feel the pressure to do everything "right" as a parent or partner and that leaves you feeling drained, frustrated and unmotivated.

3. You rarely give praise to yourself

You discount your achievement with thoughts like "I could have done better" or "Someone else could have achieved more". You hold yourself to unrealistically high standards that you rarely meet.

How CBT Therapy Can Help You:

CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is one of the most effective treatments for overthinking and perfectionism. It’s evidence-based, structured, and practical — perfect for busy Londoners and more, who want real results and clear tools they can use in daily life.

Here’s how CBT helps:

1. Understanding your thought patterns

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps you identify distorted thinking patterns that contribute to overthinking — such as catastrophising (“I have ruined everything”) or all-or-nothing thinking (“If it isn’t perfect, it’s a failure”). Once you can recognise these patterns clearly, you can start to question them and create a more balanced way of thinking.

2. Learning how to pause and reset

You will learn ways to control racing thoughts, by writing them down and then deciding on what is within your control and what isn't. Then shift your focus on what is helpful right now and practice making decisions more decisively.

3. Redefining success and “good enough”

Perfectionistic tendencies often come from moments where you might have felt "not good enough". This then led to creating impossible standards for yourself in order to feel accepted. With CBT you will learn to redefine what success means for you, based on the things that you value.

What Life Looks Like After Therapy

Life will start feeling lighter, smoother and calmer.

You might notice that you:

• Have built trust in your decision making.

• Stop worrying so much of what people might think of you.

• Feel more confident in your work and relationships.

• Can actually switch off after work or at the weekend.

• Enjoy the present moment without feeling guilty or behind.

• Give yourself a "day off" without feeling bad about it or that you do not deserve it.

  
  

Many of my clients — professionals, mums, and dads alike — describe feeling like their can finally let go and be present in their lives. They are still ambitious individuals but now they control how and where they spent their time and energy on, without feeling guilty or not good enough.

Your Next Step: Contact me here to book your free call

Book your free call today to discuss your goals, ask questions, and discover whether a therapy is right for you.

Alexandra Kalogeropoulou (BSc, MSc, PG Cert, PG Dip).

BABCP-Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with over 10 years of experience supporting clients in London, UK and all over the UK. Specialises in treating anxiety and depression, and uses evidence-based approaches. Alexandra is committed to providing compassionate, expert care for her clients across the UK.