High achieving women are certainly a different breed. As a high achiever, you probably have a dozen things on your to-do list. You have lofty goals you want to reach, and dreams you pursue with abandon.
Truly, you deserve a medal for all you take on. However, high achievers are often at the risk of burnout due to the same personality traits that allow them to achieve so much:
- You think rest is for the lazy: Why would you take a break when there is so much to be done? No one is going to call you lazy while there is still breath in your lungs!
- You compare yourself to others: You may be amazing, but someone else is always ahead of you. This creates anxiety because you feel like you will never catch up.
- You never feel like you’ve done enough: When your worth is tied to what you accomplish, how can you ever feel satisfied? There is always another milestone to hit.
If you relate to any of these sentiments, it probably means you’re overdue for some self-care. High achievers are notoriously bad at taking time for themselves. As goal-oriented people, self-care may not seem like a productive thing to do. However, it is of vital importance to train your subconscious mind that you are doing amazing. It trains your mindset to feel good around what you’ve already accomplished, therefore paving the way for further success.
Since self-care for high achievers requires a slightly different mindset, here are some self-care ideas specifically suited for go-getters:
Ask yourself what you need
Get in tune with your intuition to understand what you need. Make it a part of your self-care routine to spend a few moments meditating on what your mind and body need in this moment.
Then honor your needs! Do you need some encouraging words? Call up a friend. Is your brain fried from too much planning and problem-solving? Give yourself a break.
Getting in touch with your intuition is vital for high achievers. Not only can it tell you to slow down when necessary, but it can help you seize opportunities when the time comes. Becoming best friends with your intuition can help you reach your full potential.
Move your body
High achievers should love moving because it embodies what you love to do most: achieve! If your mind is moving at a mile a minute, your body is just dying to catch up.
Find new ways to move your body so it stays fresh and exciting to you. Take a new class, go on a hike, or just dance around the kitchen if you feel like it. Exercise provides a source of endorphins and instant gratification, something every high achiever thrives on. It’s an excellent form of self-care.
Brain dump journaling
Getting all your thoughts out on paper can be very therapeutic. It’s important to remember to let go of judgment and expectation as you’re journaling. You don’t have any expectations to meet, and your time journaling doesn’t have to accomplish anything significant.
Dumping all your thoughts out on the page can result in more regulated emotions, better focus, and more effective problem-solving. Try doing this first thing in the morning before you start your work tasks, or last thing at night so you’re not tossing and turning with all the thoughts in your head.
Schedule in time for relaxation
If you’re bad at scheduling time in for self-care, then put it on your schedule and stick to it like you would an appointment or meeting with someone else. If your life is run by your schedule like many high achievers, then you can’t ignore a direct appointment with yourself.
Scheduling self-care activities ahead of time can help relieve the guilt you may feel for taking time for yourself. You have to reframe your mindset to see self-care as a vital part of your job. You can’t run forever without any maintenance, and the time you spend taking care of yourself and relaxing will always have a high return.
Give yourself space to be creative
High achievers are constantly having ideas, so give yourself space to pursue creativity without judgement.
If you’re an artist, try choosing a new way to be creative to relieve some of the expectations you may have put on yourself. You can try drawing, coloring, collaging, writing, or playing an instrument. Keeping a creativity journal is a great way to maintain your emotional health through self-expression.
Make a list of your best attributes
This is perhaps the most effective form of self-care: make a list of your positive attributes as if someone else were writing them.
High achievers tend to be very hard on themselves. There is always something we can be doing to get better. It is extremely important to show yourself that you are doing an amazing job just as you are now!
This way of training the subconscious only encourages further improvement in your skills, work, goals, and happiness. The energy you put out will come back to you, so be purposeful with how you think about yourself.
At the end of the day, you are an amazing person who has value and light to offer the world. Don’t let it suffer because you are neglecting to take care of yourself.
When you start to see self-care as part of your job, rather than a chore you have to do, it becomes a lot more fun to embrace. You release the guilt of taking time for yourself, and your life will only see the benefits.
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