Obsession with things being "perfect" is ruining everything

[yetanotherboringusername]

Lately, my obsession with having everything be "perfect", as per the title, is driving me nuts. Just yesterday, I went down to my local telco shop to get a new phone as my old one is pretty much nonfunctional. The person at the shop opened it and activated the phone for me, and now there's this sense of it being "tainted" because I haven't read every single word from the startup screen.

How ridiculous is that?!

I'm so frustrated with myself right now. Does anyone know how I can get over this feeling of things being "tainted"?

Perhaps you need to visit your GP. It sounds like an OCD may be developing, sometimes as a result of past trauma or anxiety. CBT methods are meant to be effective for this type of behaviour and your GP can refer you for it.

I sometimes get that but don't dwell on it. I find it helps to identify where I feel it in my body. Its usually in the pit of my stomach, I breathe into it, and realise it passes, then distract myself by doing something else. I don't think its ridiculous, you probably just wanted to understand the phone more.

I thought from your title that I had the same thing but mine is a bit different. Every decision has to be 'pefect' so e.g. I can be awake the whole night because I can't decide which is the 'pefect' side to lie on. They both sound like forms of OCD but unfortunately I don't know what the answr is. I've been offered group counselling during school hours which I can't do as I'm a teacher (you should see me try to decide what grade to give students' work...)

I am exactly like this too and it also drives me crazy and I feel I'm getting worse. I dread doing everything because of it, I inspect every item I am buying to check for the most perfect one such as checking stitching on clothing for example. Also family events and trips out fill me with dread and anxiety as I want everything to be just right and perfect. it's so silly, why can't I just relax and enjoy things. I just don't understand why I am like this. I'm so stressed and anxious.

I'm like this. I've trained myself (somewhat) but am still a perfectionist.
For e.g. today.
I have a UTI and got a taxi to pharmacy which was closed. Taxi left even though I had booked return journey on Uber.
So I managed to make it just inside the front door before I wet myself.
Now a normal person would have cleaned it up. Me? Oh no.
You see, the floor hadn't been swept before the floor washing and how contaminated was the mop going to be after wiping up the pee? You get the picture?

So the pee sat in my hallway for a good 5 hours until I finally got a grip and managed to mop the floor.

Now I'll probably have to mop it again tomorrow to ensure there's no residual pee there, but I did manage to do an 'ok' job. Containment so to speak lol.
I exhaust myself. It's either all or nothing. If it can't get done perfectly, it doesn't get done..