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You are self-critical, often thinking about what you should have done or should do in the future.

You worry about your performance and others' perceptions of your performance.

You like to feel special instead of like most people.

Does any of this feel like it's describing you? You feel massive pressure to keep achieving big

and impressive goals. These kind of sound like affirmations, but warped ones, ones that have been

run through a funhouse mirror. And so what's left is just a litany of your

most anxious qualities. You experience fear of failure, of making mistakes, or of being viewed as

incompetent. What these really are are some of the hallmarks of your typical high achiever.

According to Mary Anderson, she's a clinical psychologist in private practice, and many of her

clients are outwardly impressive, but they're quietly losing it on the inside.

High achievers often are productive, talented, goal-oriented, and skilled problem solvers, and they

love a list. So those are all really advantageous traits.

But I often see some less enjoyable traits that high achievers who are struggling with anxiety and worry

often grapple with. You're afraid others will find out that you're not as smart or talented

as they thought you were. This is all in the mind. I'm Sana Khadar.

If you feel like you're being knocked off your game

because of your internal monologue,

Mary is walking us through

how she helps her patients reorient their thinking.

And she says you can implement these strategies on your own as well.

But does gaining balance mean losing performance?

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