This summer we got to experience the magic of the Olympic Games and if your family is anything like mine, there was a lot of excitement around watching these incredible athletes.

Something we proudly noticed this year was that the conversation around mental health was so prominent. You can only imagine what is going on in the minds of the athletes who are the best in the world. “Perfection culture” and the Olympic Games have been hand-in-hand for decades, but it felt different this year and it got us talking – how can we help our teens overcome ‘perfection culture’?

As the best female gymnast in the world, Simone Biles had a lot of eyes on her during these Games. After her decision to remove herself from competition in Tokyo, her comeback story was a huge headline this summer. Her decision to focus on her mental health these past few years truly paid off and allowed her to not only compete again at the Olympics this summer, but be a spokesperson for every human out there struggling with their mental health.

If you notice that your teen is experiencing unhealthy stress around feeling the need to be better and better, we encourage you to step in and support them in understanding and ultimately shifting their personal expectations.

Here are some signs of perfectionism you may want to look out for in your teen:

• Setting very high (potentially unrealistic) goals and feeling like a failure when they are not achieved
• Self-doubting every decision and wondering if it’s the right choice because it may not align with their ultimate goal
• Talking down major achievements because they feel like they can do even better

If you are noticing signs of perfectionism, here are 3 ways you can help guide your teen away from the high pressures of being perfect:

1. Have a real conversation: speak to your teen candidly and let them know you are concerned about how they are chasing perfectionism. Don’t place blame, but rather point out their strengths and let them know you are supportive of them regardless of their achievement status.
2. Reset Goals: it’s important to explain to your teen that circumstances change and it’s okay to change expectations. If something isn’t working for them, be the first to give them the option to reroute and reset. “Quitting” isn’t always a bad thing, especially if making a decision to switch gears leads to a healthier lifestyle.
3. Be the example: showcase your strengths AND weaknesses. Let your teen know that you too have failed at things and perfectionism is not expected. Instead, celebrate failures and praise the fact that your teen is trying hard at something. It can even be fun to share stories about things you failed at that later led you down a better path.

The most important thing is that our teens realize there is no need to be perfect and that perfectionism truly doesn’t exist. Their teenage years are meant to be lived and enjoyed, not stressed over. If you are the first one to celebrate that, they will too!

And if you’re looking for further support in creating these types of effortless conversations with your teen, check out our FREE 3-in-1 PDF Bundle that includes our most popular guides with parent-approved strategies to have meaningful talks with your teen.