Overachievers and Anxiety

Have you been labeled an overachiever? Are you constantly working to exceed expectations, reach new goals, or complete new tasks? Do you find that you are constantly driven to achieve something new? Have you ever wondered what might be feeling that drive for perfection and achievement? Did you know that many overachievers are actually fueled by feelings of fear and anxiety?

Today we are going to take the time to unpack the connection between overachievers and anxiety symptoms.

So let’s start with the overachiever personality type. 

These individuals typically are highly successful, achieve expectations, or exceed expectations, and are often thought to be fairly healthy or happy, or content individuals. For research purposes, these individuals are often said to have the personality trait of high persistence, meaning they are internally, driven, to be persistent, and consistent in achieving their goals. Michigan State University defined the persistent personality type as someone who is able to stay with a task, even when that task becomes increasingly challenging, or when barriers to task completion are encountered. (1) Most people would think that high levels of this type of personality trait would be a wonderful thing to have, and it may be, but there also may be a darker side, too high levels of persistent, personality traits in individuals

Now let’s dig into anxiety a bit further. 

Anxiety is a fairly commonly understood concept, but let’s refresh on how anxiety can be appropriately, and properly defined. The American psychological association identifies several key attributes of anxiety.

• It’s an emotional state individuals experience

• It’s often characterized by thoughts of worry, or fear, accompanied by physical feelings of tension and physiological responses like heart rate increase or blood pressure increase

• While anxiety is not the exact same as fear, it is often associated with future-oriented worries, fears of threats, and anticipation of negative outcomes. (2) 

So what do we know about overachievers and anxiety? 

So how do anxiety and being an overachiever correlate? Well, the research actually has some very interesting data points on the connection between being an overachiever and experiencing higher levels of anxiety.

If you remember, being an overachiever means that you are driven and internally, persistent when it comes to task completion. Several researchers have considered what types of motives may be a part of the drive for task completion in these overachiever personalities. What the researchers found is, many of the motives related to these high achiever practices are field from harm avoidance. This means that for many people who fit this personality type, the motives, feeling these behaviors are actually motives of fear, or avoiding what is perceived to be a negative outcome. (3) 

So what? If anxiety is fueling me to over-achievement, isn’t that kind of good anxiety?

This is an excellent question! And the truth is, yes, and no.

There are actually healthy levels of stress responses that do increase our productivity and overall achievement. (4) 

Long-term and persistent, anxiety, or stress levels that exceed healthy, productive levels, can actually have a pretty negative outcome on the overall health and well-being of the individual.  The research tells us that there is a high association between the presence of anxiety and physical illness, including things like cardiac disorders hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, migraines, and other forms of autonomic, disease, and illness. (5) 

So yes, the overachiever, personality trait, driven by anxiety, may be highly productive in the short term, but the cost of productivity might be something to consider.

So, what now? 

There is great news. Anxiety and the negative impacts of anxiety can be treated with appropriate interventions. Many overachievers do become “overachievers in recovery“ after learning positive skills to manage, anxiety, address, fears, and work towards a healthy state of balance, and overall wellness. There are many kinds of therapy to assist in addressing anxiety symptoms. DBT therapy, CBT therapy, and EMDR therapy are three evidence-based interventions that are effective at treating many forms of anxiety symptoms.

If you find yourself fitting into this category of an overachiever, who is also experiencing anxiety, we would love to connect with you! Our team of trained therapists is prepared and ready to help create balance and wellness in your life. We know you have a busy schedule, and we offer online therapy options, or in-person therapy options at Arlington. Texas-based therapy office to accommodate your schedule and needs. Don’t let your achievements, be the cost of your health and wellness. Let a professional partner with you to find balance and new levels of wellness!