When you’re a high achiever, you tend to never stop hustling. You can always seem to identify one more step or objective to get you to your ultimate goals. But lately, you feel you’re missing out on something.
The part of you that keeps driving forward is starting to become anxious about losing connections with the people you love while you spend your time working, but you can’t seem to make yourself slow down. Our Tampa anxiety therapists see this all the time, and we want to help you keep the things that are important to you and also enrich other areas of your life.
Be Honest About Your Ambition
What is it that drives you to work so hard, even to the exclusion of satisfaction in relationships?
Many high achievers believe that their accomplishments and achievements might provide one of the following:
- A sense of self-worth
- Approval from others
- Attention from caregivers
- Peace from all of the ideas that are storming around in your mind
Being honest about your ambition allows you to identify any negative or false beliefs about yourself. The beliefs you have about yourself and the world around you shape the ways you choose to spend your time and energy.
Give Yourself Permission to Rest
High achievers tend to put rest on the back burner. There always seems to be so much to do and complete! But you’re left with little energy for the people you care about and who care about you.
Our Tampa anxiety therapists who work with high achievers know that it can be difficult for you to slow down when you’re worn down. However, the benefits of rest outweigh the risks of stopping for long enough to get the rest.
You might be afraid that resting will put your project or goals on the back burner…but rest will actually allow you to do more, with higher quality.
Rest gives you a clearer head, with better ability to prioritize tasks, and more energy to share with the people you love.
Start a Hobby
You might be thinking, “I just told you I don’t have time for my family-what makes you think I have time for a hobby?”
That’s fair.
But a hobby provides you with an outlet and a way to play. Chances are, you already have an interest that you’re not giving attention to. Play across the lifespan has many benefits: It can increase creative energy, help you process problems even without explicitly working them out, and offer an opportunity for connection with others (which has other sets of benefits).
Change can be anxiety-provoking. If you’re reading this, you probably have already noticed a need for some change, somewhere. Your body may be giving you signals that something needs to be added or subtracted in your life. We understand the specific needs and anxieties of high achievers and would love to walk with you in this process. Reach out for support today.
