Therapy for High Achievers in Encinitas, CA

*Online Therapy in California is Offered*

As a High Achiever, You’re Always Striving for More

To the outside world, you look like you have it all together. You’ve got the perfect job. You’re always productive. On top of that, you’re good at everything you do. Or so it seems.  Little do they know that on the inside, you’re a bundle of uncertainty and worry. The anxiety bubble stays with you as you pursue the ever-changing goal post of perfection. Only you are witness to the extent of your internal dialogue that seems to go around and around in never-ending loops. Never finding a resolution. Never finding the ultimate perfect solution. You put 110% of your energy into everything you do. You are spending going over details. Problem-solving unknowns and ensuring the best possible outcomes.

And, you’re totally wiped out.

Almost like your body is saying “enough.” Your energy levels and motivation wanes. You can’t come up with a productive thought. On top of that, the thought of doing anything makes you want to crawl into a hole. But, you don’t just feel like this when you’re home at the end of the day. This trickles down and disrupts your capacity to engage fully at work. And, may even leave you feeling burned out.

If you’re a High Achiever, your ears are burning

Your drive for the best possible solutions and perfectionism doesn’t just stay at work. It infiltrates your relationships, too. You feel frustrated with the important people in your life more than you’d like to admit. Especially when the outcomes you desire are less than what you expected. Or, what you would have done.  Unfortunately, your loved ones feel this from you, too. They feel the pressure of your need for perfect results every time. And, may begin to resist sharing the details of their pursuits. When they chose not to share, you feel left out. What’s more, is that you begin to feel left out of their emotional lives, too. This leaves you feeling disconnected, frustrated, and confused. Especially about how your good intentions seem to have been misinterpreted.

If this sounds familiar, you could benefit from therapy for high achievers

All you want to do is fix things and be helpful. You work hard at finding the perfect solutions for the problems you feel are getting in the way.  You find yourself researching, implementing, and insisting on changes. Changes that you feel will help not just you. But, to those around you. This shows up in different areas of your life. Whether it be within your work environment, with your partner, your children, or your well-being.

When do people start therapy for high achievers?

Having high aspirations and ambitions has helped you to accomplish many things in your life. However, you may have begun to notice that there are times when it is not serving you.  Our therapists have worked with people experiencing many different obstacles. Some that you’re going through right now! Through our experience providing therapy for high achievers, we know that every person navigates different obstacles. So, people often start therapy for high achievers for a variety of different reasons. Some of the reasons to start therapy for high achievers  include:

• Feeling burned out.
• Recognizing that you tend to obsess over details.
• Seeing that when you begin a new project or undertake a new approach to something, you take it to extremes.
• When people tell you that they experience your intentions as controlling.
• Feeling left out, even in your closest relationships.
• Tired of worrying and obsessing about details.
• Wanting to gain insight into the reasons behind your motivation, drive, and ambition.
• Tired of always being busy.
• Wondering why you never seem to achieve your goals.

The Headway Therapy Approach to Therapy for High Achievers

At Headway Therapy, your efforts and ambitions are recognized for how they have served you. They have most likely helped you achieve great success in many areas of your life. However, those same efforts and ambitions might be working against. They could likely be interfering with your internal level of contentment and satisfaction. As such, your achievement-mindset is seen as a strength. But, at the same time, goalposts may need to be reset to regulate your feelings and manage your stress effectively. In addition, increasing awareness of how your high-achieving focus shows up in all of the different areas of your life is explored as well as how it may actually be interfering with your true intentions.

Mindfulness in Therapy for High Achievers

Specifically, incorporating strategies of mindfulness to increase your self-awareness. is helpful. Coping skills for stress management as well as methods to manage your worry are explored. Additionally, helping you to slow things down so that you can begin to explore the origins of your drive and ambition is a focus area. This is also facilitated through a collaborative approach with you to promote awareness. This way, we can build understanding around what your behaviors may be telling you about your internal world. And, how this is shaping the way you see and understand your experiences.

The goal in therapy for high achievers

The goal is to help you feel calmer. To help you create space between where your thoughts and actions tend to take you. And, to know what is actually behind them. You will begin to recognize for yourself when your thoughts begin running away from you. You’ll start understanding what may have activated them. And, you will also begin to understand how this shows up in your relationships. So, that you might begin to change how you engage with the important people in your life. Change how you connect with them on a deeper and more satisfying level.

Begin Therapy for High Achievers in San Diego, CA

Recognizing how your high achieving mindset is impacting your life does not have to be done in isolation. Therapy can be in person in Encinitas, CA or online. To start your therapy journey, follow these steps:

1. Contact Headway Therapy.
2. Meet with one of our Amanda Freeman, PhD, PMH-C.
3. Begin working through your need to always be the best.

Other Counseling Services at Headway Therapy

Therapy for high achievers is not the only service we offer in Encinitas. Other mental health services at Headway Therapy include depression counseling, anxiety treatment, infertility counseling, and therapy for pregnant and postpartum families. We look forward to connecting with you!