What Causes Burnout for a High Achiever?
Why are High Achievers Susceptible to Burnout?
High achieving women are hard-working women and some might say, overworked women.
It’s not just physical work but can also be mental and emotional work too.
Added up, these things can lead to feeling exhausted, unappreciated, and increased stress. And if you aren’t taking good care of your self the next thing you know you may be entering the final stage of burnout.
In this blog, I’m sharing with you some reasons why hard-working high achieving women experience burnout.
I am an online burnout therapist in Wilmington, NC, and provide anxiety treatment for high-achieving women that also experience feelings of work burnout.
I provide online therapy in North Carolina and Maryland.
Start burnout counseling with me today. Click the button below and reserve your free 15-minute consultation.
Keep reading to learn the reasons why high-achieving women are susceptible to burnout.
5 Reasons a High Achiever Can Experience Burnout
In previous blogs, I have shared answers to the question of what is burnout and discussed common signs of burnout and how they can impact your mental health.
But I also think it is important to be able to identify some of the other reasons you may be experiencing burnout so then you can start the path to overcoming work burnout.
Reason #1 for High Achiever Burnout: Are you a high achiever or overachiever?
The terms high achiever and overachiever often get used interchangeably but there are some differences.
An overachiever is similar to a perfectionist. Being an overachiever you are going above and beyond, taking on more than necessary, and placing a big emphasis on the outcome of the goal often leading to increased anxiety or depression.
Reason #2 for High Achiever Burnout: Lack of boundaries
Boundary setting is important for self-care. One of the big reasons why I spend a lot of time discussing boundaries is because it can also be a main culprit of burnout.
Reason #3 for High Achiever Burnout: Toxic work environments
Shit leadership, lack of support, and disorganization in the workplace can certainly be a contributor. A toxic workplace can have your stress levels to increase and susceptibility to experiencing burnout increase as well.
Reason #4 for High Achiever Burnout: Minimal self-care and self-compassion
High-achievers can get so caught up in all of their hard work and making sure everyone else is good, that they neglect their own needs.
It’s also not uncommon for me to hear from clients that self-care is selfish. The truth is hard-working high-achievers deserve care and just as importantly need to give themselves kindness and compassion.
Reason #5 for High Achiever Burnout: Unexplored values
High achievers and high performers consistently work towards goals in life, both personally and professionally. However, just because they are working towards achieving these goals does not necessarily mean they are in alignment with their values.
When going against your values rather than towards your values in life chances are greater you will experience an increase in stress, feelings of burnout, anxiety, or depression.
Begin Burnout Counseling in Wilmington, NC at Calm Waters Counseling
Experiencing burnout can you lead you to exhaustion. You’re simply trying to hold it all together, but like most things that aren’t fitting together well, eventually, it all starts to unravel and come apart.
It is important to understand the signs of job burnout and the reasons why you may be experiencing burnout.
Learn more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and how ACT can be helpful for you.
Use ACT to recover from burnout.
Get started in therapy at Calm Waters Counseling by following these 4 simple steps:
Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation
Complete the brief questionnaire sent to your email before the consultation
Meet with your ACT therapist
Start living your life with more enjoyment
Therapy for High Achievers in Wilmington, NC at Calm Waters Counseling
High achievers experience challenges that others may not fully understand and for this reason therapy can be helpful for high achievers.
Learn more about me and my Wilmington, NC online therapy practice.
This is why I have found ACT to work well for high achievers.
Check out all services at Calm Waters Counseling, listed below:
Anxiety therapy in Wilmington, NC
Treatment for Perfectionism in Maryland
Burnout Counseling in Wilmington, NC
Therapy for Imposter Syndrome in Wilmington, NC
Online Burnout Therapy in North Carolina
Online burnout treatment is a great option for busy high achieving women. I understand there are a lot of moving parts happening and it’s about making your therapy appointments work for what is easiest for you, not the other way around.
Online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is effective and helpful.
Click the links below to learn about online therapy where you live.
online burnout therapy in North Carolina
online burnout treatment in Maryland
Still, have questions? Click the buttons below for some answers.
Written by: Laura Rippeon, LCSW, LCSW-C
Updated 3/18/23