Hi there, Sana Qadar here from ABC Radio National's mental health podcast All In The Mind.
At work, do you feel pressure to achieve big and impressive goals?
Do you fear making mistakes or being viewed as incompetent?
Are you self-critical, often thinking of what you should have done, or should do in the future?
Do you like to feel special, instead of like "most people"?
Congratulations/commiserations, you might be a "high achiever" — someone ambitious, and goal driven, but also prone to a specific kind of stress and anxiety.
In a recent episode of All In The Mind, US-based clinical psychologist Mary Anderson spoke to me about her work helping high achievers become happier and healthier.
"I would have these amazing patients come in — ambitious, high achieving, hardworking patients … and they would really candidly and courageously describe struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, worry and perfectionism," she said.
"What I realised is they were these amazing people, who really were not enjoying their excellence."
According to Dr Anderson, there are three types of cognitive distortions high achievers often struggle with: all or nothing thinking, jumping to conclusions, and "should" statements like "I should be further ahead in my career", or "I should be able to handle all of this".
So how do you stop or shift thoughts like these, especially if your sense of identity and self-worth is tied to your job? We've got the answers here.
Also this month, we have stories from across the ABC about what teenagers really think about the hit show Adolescence, mums playing video games to de-stress and bond with their kids, and living with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Catch you next time.
Sana
P.S. If you have other topics you'd like to hear more about this year on All In The Mind, send us an email.
And if you — or someone you know — find any of the themes we touch on in this newsletter difficult, please reach out to services such as Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36 or the Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.
All In The Mind is an exploration of the mental: the mind, brain and behaviour. It airs on Sundays at 1pm and is repeated on Mondays at 11am and Fridays at 2.30am on Radio National. Listen for free on the ABC listen app.
You can find more mental-health-related content on ABC iview, and head to our dedicated page for articles.
