Some people have their career and work goals- both long and short term, vision boards, strategic plans, name it all. Achieving this in most cases requires a lot of time, focus, determination and energy, yet one has a social life- family and friends, to attend to. Much as dreaming big and aiming for the stars is admirable, it can also be detrimental. How does one handle this then? Kelly Uwineza CEO at zöi says it’s totally normal to feel that way, “We all want to be better at what we are doing, especially our career and social life. Sometimes it also affects our health because we put our jobs first.” When this happens, Uwineza says it’s important to put first things first; be aware that you are experiencing stress and anxiety. Second, accept that there’s no perfect work-life balance. Prioritise your health, take a vacation and don’t be afraid to unplug. “Take some time off with the outside world and get some time alone to meditate or anything that could help you relax instead of checking and answering emails,” she says. Alpha Bugingo, a customer service agent says that recognising that you are experiencing stress and anxiety is the first healthy step toward learning how to manage and cope with your feelings. High-achieving individuals frequently suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, he says, recommending some steps to manage stress as follows: have self-compassion. This means being willing to look at your mistakes or failures with kindness and understanding without harsh criticism or defensiveness, rely on routines- simple routines can dramatically reduce your experience of stress. Bugingo says to see your work in terms of progress, not perfection. Think about the progress that you’ve already made. Anxiety is defined as not being present in the moment. High achievers have a tendency to look too far ahead. Take the time to slow down and appreciate your journey. A certain amount of anxiety is healthy and useful. It can motivate us to reach our goals in life. Bugingo says the problem occurs when anxiety becomes excessive because we prioritise the pursuit of achievement over our relationships and well-being. Rehema Ingabire a university student says you may discover that working hard actually stands for something valuable to you that you don’t want to let go of. This exercise can not only help you understand your reasons to work too hard, but can also boost your motivation to take other steps such as practising stress management and time management techniques or seeking professional help. We should always remember to check in with our lives, she says. Going forward, some experts in the field of psychology explain how far this can affect a person’s health, especially their mental health. Gamaliel Ririhafi, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Life Shif says there are many people who have a problem like this, where working hard unintentionally affects their mental and physical health. However, each individual has their own reasons to work so hard, and without understanding those reasons and each person’s background, it can be difficult to know what solution can work best for them. If you feel that work is affecting your emotional wellbeing, you can always consult mental health professionals, he says. As a mental health practitioner and advocate of independent self-care, I can suggest an exercise you can apply to uncover the reasons behind working too hard to be negatively affected, says Ririhafi. He goes on to explain that in this exercise, you look at the positive side of what you are calling a problem. In this case, recognise or write down all the benefits of stretching yourself further at work. Do you enjoy the work, is it meaningful, does it foster your financial freedom, do you get a sense of achievement or feel more confident, and is it about a purpose you are pursuing? He concludes that one needs to bring to awareness all the sound reasons that make working hard so important to them. You may find out that the reasons are too good that you actually don’t need to change anything about how you work, maybe about how you manage the stress. Uzziel Manirareba a clinical psychologist as well notes that it is normally positive to be an achiever in any career. Of course, this requires much motivation and determination which can be also stressful. For this person who is experiencing this kind of stress and anxiety, it is really understandable. Different achievements put this person on dreaming big which requires much personal investment. The way to manage it can also reflect on thinking that the person is able or not able to achieve, he says. Manirareba concludes that it’s vital to sort out possible duties to handle comparing with one’s personal strength. “To be an achiever doesn’t mean to be able to do everything.”
