Barristers: Managing Perfectionism and Self-Sabotage

The 2015 Wellbeing at the Bar Survey in the United Kingdom found that 59% of the Barristers surveyed demonstrated unhealthy levels of perfectionism. If perfectionism goes unchecked it can lead to a cycle of self-sabotage and self-doubt. Why do we beat ourselves up, when things don’t go as planned? How can we manage our practices and lives as barristers to break the cycle? 

Dr Charlotte Keating is a Psychologist and Adjunct Research Fellow at Swinburne University. She is a regular contributor on ABC Radio and Radio National. She is familiar with the demands of life at the Bar and presents to the Bar Reader’s course on how to manage a bad day in court.