Perfectionism isn’t really about wanting to be perfect—it’s about wanting to be safe. For many of us, especially children of immigrants or high-achievers who grew up equating worth with success, striving became a survival strategy. This post unpacks how perfectionism takes root in our earliest family dynamics—from high expectations to anxious parenting—and how unlearning it means choosing wholeness over performance, and safety over survival.

Perfectionism doesn’t just appear out of nowhere—it often starts in childhood, especially in families where love, safety, or attention felt conditional. In this post, we unpack four common ways family dynamics quietly shape how perfectionism takes hold.

Perfectionism isn’t always about being your best—it’s often about staying safe. Especially for children of immigrants, first-gen teens, and high-achievers, perfectionism can start as a survival strategy shaped by family dynamics, emotional insecurity, and the need to earn love through performance. In this blog, we unpack the deeper roots of perfectionism and why healing starts with unlearning survival mode.