We wouldn’t be here today, if it weren’t for that “survival mode” – a state in which we are able to unleash additional power and extreme focus. However, it comes at cost, and considering it effectively turns off huge parts of our consciousness, it isn’t cheap.

It’s good that we still have it though. Especially when we experience personal trauma, the survival mode is quite an asset to deal with overwhelming grief and anxiety. We all need it every now and then. Yet, being a perfectionist is a dangerous thing when it comes to survival mode.

Think about a co-worker falling sick for a few weeks while the team is under high workload already. Or a mother unhappy with the performance of her child’s teacher. Having well-balanced expectations you would be able to deal with these challenges in a pragmatic way, but trying to be perfect, to do everything in a perfect way and to find the perfect solution too quickly puts people in a war-like state. 
At first, what then happens might look impressive, but in the end, people burn out and create enormous collateral damage. If you’re a leader or a friend, take care and help to stay mindful and conscious. Superheroes are only for fiction.