For high-achieving leaders, the pressure to perform can feel relentless. You’re the one people look to for answers, the one expected to make the tough calls, and the one who’s supposed to have it all together. But underneath the surface, anxiety often looms, whispering doubts, fuelling sleepless nights, and driving you to overextend yourself.

As a therapist, I’ve seen how this anxiety, especially the fear of “getting it wrong”, can create a dangerous cycle of overwork and perfectionism that eventually leads to burnout. Let’s unpack how this happens and explore how you can break free from the cycle without sacrificing your success.

High achievers often carry an unspoken belief: that their worth is tied to their ability to deliver, solve problems, and always perform at their peak. While this mindset might have helped you reach the top, it also comes with hidden costs.

Anxiety at work can show up as:

• Overthinking: Spending hours analysing decisions to avoid mistakes.
• Perfectionism: Feeling like anything less than “perfect” is failure.
• Difficulty Delegating: Believing no one else will do the job as well as you can.
• People-Pleasing: Saying yes to every request, even at the expense of your well-being.

While these habits might feel necessary to maintain your role, they often come at the expense of your mental health.

How Anxiety Drives Burnout

Anxiety can act as a relentless taskmaster, keeping you in a constant state of “doing.” You might find yourself working harder and longer, driven by the fear of falling short.

The curious paradox here is, no matter how much you achieve, the anxiety doesn’t go away. It tells you to keep going, keep fixing, keep proving your worth. Over time, this can lead to:

• Physical and emotional exhaustion from never giving yourself a break.
• Decreased productivity as stress clouds your focus and decision-making.
• Loss of passion for your work as it becomes more about survival than purpose.

 

As a therapist specialising in burnout and work-related stress and anxiety, I work with my clients to explore the root cause that drives them to stay in such an exhausting cycle – we almost always trace this back to their early years when they became conditioned to believe that their worth needed to somehow be earned. Mistakes become a source of fear, even if the actual consequences are minor in the context of their work. Here are a few strategies that you can use to challenge and work towards a more balanced, consistent level of productivity without compromising on your sense of pride and accomplishment.

•  Set Boundaries Around Your Time

Being available 24/7 or taking on every task doesn’t make you more valuable; it makes you more exhausted. Practice saying no when necessary, and schedule downtime as intentionally as you would a meeting. 

• Reflect on your values around success

Consider what a “successful” day or week looks like that also leaves room for your mental and physical health. Celebrate the small wins along the way and notice how other elements of a process feel – teamwork, camaraderie etc. can be as important as the end result.

• Check the Stories You’re Telling Yourself

Often, we push ourselves harder because we’re operating under outdated beliefs, like “If I don’t do this perfectly, I’ll lose respect.” I invite you to challenge these beliefs – when did they begin and how have they been reinforced?

•  Prioritise Rest

Building regular breaks and periods of rest into your routine can help prevent burnout while improving your focus and creativity. 

• Practice Self-Compassion

Even if you only take one of these on board, this is the one!

You don’t need to earn your worth – it’s inherent. Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding you would offer a colleague or friend. When self-criticism creeps in, remind yourself that perfection is neither possible nor required.

True productivity comes not from pushing yourself to the brink but from working in a way that honours both your ambitions and your well-being. If you’re feeling caught in this cycle and unsure how to break free, therapy can be a safe space to unpack what’s driving you and build a healthier, more sustainable approach to work and life.

Contact me on –

contact@rebeccavivashcounselling.com

www.rebeccavivashcounselling.com