Of course, many of us have long felt the pressure of “doing” rather than “being”. But that struggle is especially intense right now, at a time when the World Health Organisation is reporting a staggering 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide.

From the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to a cost of living crisis and the aftereffects of Covid, it’s unsurprising that many of us are feeling on edge at the moment. This backdrop makes the anxious achiever side of us even more pent up; and more convinced that we’ll feel better by constantly churning through tasks (while simultaneously berating ourselves for not managing that feat).

The outcome of this attitude, of course, is quite the opposite. Instead of getting more things done and feeling better, we merely feed the anxiety to get more things done. And in doing so, we push ourselves to the point of exhaustion and burnout (a condition that is already booming, thanks to the prolonged stress of Covid).

Anxious achiever: these daily thoughts will ring true for anyone stuck in a cycle of “doing”