Sometimes, anxiety gets things done.
It pushes you out of bed, drives you through deadlines, fills your calendar, and helps you tick every box.
It whispers: “If you just keep moving, nothing will fall apart.”
And for a while, it works.
Until it doesn’t.
Until your body starts speaking in tension.
Your sleep gets thinner.
Your presence feels like a memory.
And that’s when you realise:
What looked like high performance… may have been quiet survival.
The double edge of anxious drive
Anxiety can fuel short bursts of action.
But when it becomes the default engine of productivity, it starts to erode the very self it’s trying to protect.
Because anxiety isn’t bad.
It’s just not meant to lead.
How to tell if anxiety is running your to-do list:
You feel behind even after a productive day
You say yes to things you don’t want — because it feels safer than no
You resist rest because it feels like collapse
You confuse urgency with importance
You feel resentful but keep performing
If this is you, you’re not broken.
You’re just wired for survival.
And you can learn another way.
Begin by asking: What would productivity feel like if it didn’t come from fear?
Here are a few anchors that help me work with anxiety — not against it, and not at its mercy:
Create rhythms, not just goals.
Let your days have breath in them. Not every hour needs to be optimised. Spaciousness is productive, too.
Let your nervous system speak.
If your hands are tight, your stomach is clenched, or you can’t hear yourself think — pause. You’re not lazy. You’re over-capacity.
Replace urgency with honesty.
Ask: “What truly needs my energy today?” Not just “What am I afraid to fall behind on?”
Rest before you earn it.
You don’t have to break to deserve softness. You’re allowed to pause before the panic comes.
You’re allowed to do great things — without exhausting yourself to prove you can.
You’re allowed to be ambitious — and still tender with your own pace.
You’re allowed to be both:
High-capacity and human
Driven and discerning
Productive and at peace
Further Exploration
For a deeper dive into this topic, you might find this video insightful:
Want support unhooking from anxious overdrive?
I help high-performers find a rhythm that holds their gifts — without burning them out.
Let’s recalibrate, together →
