Listen In According to psychologist Dr. Alice Domar, women who aim for perfection in all areas of life are reaching for an unrealistic, stress-inducing goal that will leave them feeling unhappy and unfulfilled. “The way we are operating these days, no matter how many good things are going on in our life, we zero in on what’s not going right,” she says.

Dr. Oz talks with Dr. Domar, author of Be Happy Without Being Perfect, about ways women with perfectionist tendencies can focus on the good in life and find true happiness and contentment.

• Keep a gratitude journal. Every night before bed, jot down the things in your life for which you’re grateful, whether it’s a tasty muffin or a beautiful sunrise, Dr. Domar says. “People who do this get less anxious and they feel better about their lives,” she says.
• Challenge your negative thoughts. More often than not, the negative things we think about ourselves are illogical and untrue, Dr. Domar says. “The stuff we say to ourselves is either based on something someone said to us a long time ago or it’s our fear speaking,” she says.
• Compare yourself to those less fortunate. Ideally, we should rid ourselves of judgmental thoughts altogether, Dr. Domar says. But if you’re continually comparing yourself to others, consider comparing yourself to those in a situation worse than yours. “We are so lucky compared to so many people around the world,” she says.