Certain meditation strategies may help perfectionists

Mindfulness meditation with a focus on nonjudgment of emotions may help perfectionists recover from stress, according to a study published in Psychophysiology.

The study used high frequency heart rate variability to measure recovery from stress during mindfulness meditation sessions in 120 university students who scored high on a screening tool for perfectionism—the need to be or appear perfect.

Mindfulness meditation sessions that incorporated a nonjudgment element—or awareness and acceptance—led to better recovery compared with general mindfulness meditation sessions.

"This study extends the findings of mindfulness researchers and suggests the potential importance of nonjudgment of emotions and experiences during mindfulness practice for perfectionists," said lead author Hannah Koerten, MA, of Bowling Green State University.