The Hidden Mental Health Crisis Among High Achievers:
Perfectionism, Imposter Syndrome & ‘Infinite Workdays
Table of Contents
On paper, you’re “fine.”
You’re reliable. Capable. Composed. The person people trust with the high-stakes work.
And yet, inside – something is fraying.
Not always dramatically. Sometimes it’s subtle:
- the tight chest before a meeting you’ve done a hundred times
- the restlessness at night, even when you’re exhausted
- the sense that the workday never really ends
- the quiet fear that if you slow down, everything will fall apart
This is the hidden mental health crisis among high achievers: perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and “infinite workdays” – patterns that can look like success from the outside, while quietly costing you on the inside.
This isn’t about being “too sensitive.” And it’s not a character flaw. It’s often the result of a modern reality: high pressure, constant visibility, relentless pace – with just enough reward to keep you pushing.
A quick definition: what I mean by “high achiever”
Many of my clients don’t identify as high achievers – because to them, their standards feel normal.
When I say “high achiever,” I’m talking about someone who:
- consistently delivers at a high level (often without being asked twice)
- is trusted with complexity, pressure, and responsibility
- holds themselves to a high internal bar — even when nobody else is demanding it
- is outwardly competent, but internally often carrying more weight than they admit
If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not a high achiever, I’m just doing what needs to be done,” that’s often a sign you’ve normalised a level of output that would exhaust most people.
If you’re unsure you “count,” notice this: high achievers often don’t feel like high achievers – they just feel like they’re trying not to drop the ball.
The Numbers: Why High Achievers Are at Risk
High performers aren’t immune to strain. If anything, they can be more vulnerable – because they’re often the last to admit something is off.
Burnout Levels and Rising Workplace Anxiety
Burnout and workplace anxiety are rising across industries. Even when someone is coping externally, their nervous system may be running “hot” internally – for months or years.
High achievers often delay getting support because they’re still functioning. But functioning isn’t the same as well.
Perfectionism + Imposter Syndrome as “Socially Rewarded Problems”
Perfectionism and imposter feelings can be strangely rewarded in high-performance cultures:
- Perfectionism looks like “high standards”
- Imposter syndrome looks like “humility” and “drive”
- Overworking looks like “commitment”
So the very patterns that quietly harm you can also be the patterns that get praised.
Perfectionism – The Productivity Mask
Perfectionism is often misunderstood as “wanting to do a great job.”
But in coaching rooms, perfectionism usually shows up as something more specific:
A nervous system that doesn’t feel safe unless performance is flawless.
How “High Standards” Become Self-Punishment
Healthy standards are flexible. They respond to context, capacity, and consequence.
Perfectionism doesn’t.
Perfectionism tends to sound like:
- “If I don’t do it, it won’t be done properly.”
- “I can’t submit this yet – it’s not ready.” (even when it’s objectively strong)
- “If I make one mistake, it will undo all my credibility.”
- “I should be able to handle this.”
Underneath the “high standards” is often fear – not ambition.
And when your body is running on fear, you don’t just work hard. You work tightly: braced, vigilant, always scanning for what might go wrong.
Here’s how it often shows up in real life. A senior leader (let’s call her “M”) came to me after a quarter where she’d done everything “right.”
Promotion. Bigger scope. Higher visibility.
And yet, there she was – at 2:13 a.m. – rewriting a board deck she’d already revised three times.
Shoulders up near her ears. Jaw clenched. One hand on the trackpad, the other gripping a mug she wasn’t even drinking from.
She said, quietly:
“If this isn’t perfect, they’ll see I’m not ready.”
Not “they’ll critique the deck.”
Not “they’ll ask a question.”
Something deeper: “They’ll see through me.”
In our work, we didn’t try to “get rid of perfectionism” overnight. We got more precise.
We separated excellence from self-punishment.
We built a “definition of done” that matched the true consequence level — not the fear level.
And we practised a new leadership move: submitting work without bleeding for it.
A few weeks later, she messaged me after presenting.
No fireworks. No dramatic speech.
Just this:
“I slept. I presented. I answered questions. I didn’t collapse afterward.”
That’s the kind of change that actually lasts.
The Perfectionism-Burnout Loop
Perfectionism often creates a loop:
- Pressure rises → you tighten control
- You over-prepare / over-check / over-deliver
- You get reinforcement: praise, results, trust
- Your system learns: “This is what keeps me safe.”
- Your capacity shrinks — but the standards don’t
- You push harder… and quietly drain yourself
This is why “just lower your standards” rarely works.
Because perfectionism isn’t a preference. It’s often a protection strategy.
Imposter Syndrome – “I’m Fooling Everyone”
Imposter syndrome isn’t only a junior-career experience.
In many high achievers, it intensifies with seniority – because the stakes, visibility, and expectations rise.
Why Promotions Can Increase, Not Decrease, the Fraud Feeling
A promotion doesn’t just give you more responsibility. It often gives you bigger rooms, smarter peers, more ambiguity, less reassurance – and higher consequence decisions.
So even if you’re performing well, your internal bar re-calibrates.
And because many high achievers are skilled at holding it together, people don’t realise you’re carrying doubt.
How High Achievers Minimise Their Own Successes
A classic imposter pattern is success-discounting:
- “I got lucky.”
- “They were being kind.”
- “Anyone could’ve done that.”
- “It doesn’t count – it was easy for me.”
High achievers often have strong external evidence (results, track record, reputation) and weak internal permission to let that evidence land.
So the drive continues – not always from inspiration, but from fear of being found out.
Infinite Workdays – Always On, Never Done
Even if you love your work, modern work can be neurologically relentless.
“Infinite workdays” aren’t only about long hours. They’re about cognitive leakage – your attention never fully coming home.
Hybrid Work, Notifications and The 24/7 Brain
It’s not only how much work there is – it’s how fragmented it is.
You stop work, but your brain doesn’t.
You close the laptop, but your nervous system stays open.
You try to rest, but you’re still running tomorrow’s conversations in your head.
Why High Achievers Struggle to Switch Off
High achievers often don’t just have a workload problem. They have a permission problem.
Switching off can feel like:
- being irresponsible
- falling behind
- losing control
- letting people down
- risking reputation
So rest becomes “earned.”
And the bar for earning it keeps moving.
This is one of those patterns that looks like strength – until you realise you’ve been paying for it with your nervous system.
A tech consultant (we’ll call him “D”) said something that stopped me:
“When I have a time gap, I feel uneasy. Like I’m missing something.”
Let that land for a second.
He wasn’t addicted to work.
He was conditioned by years of responsibility to treat silence like a threat.
He wasn’t avoiding rest – he was managing risk.
Emails before his feet hit the floor. Calls stacked so tightly there was no air between them. Dinner with his family… then “just one thing.” Suddenly it was 11:47 p.m. And because he covered multiple time zones regionally, 5 a.m. calls were part of the package.
On the outside: solid, reliable, high-performing.
On the inside: alert, scanning, never fully off.
He was exhausted, mentally, emotionally, physically.
So we didn’t begin with “better boundaries.” We began with ending the day.
A simple 3-line shutdown note: Done / Next / Can Wait.
Then a physical transition – walk, shower, breath – a clear signal to his body: we’re done for today.
And then we named the engine behind the habit:
“If I’m not available, I’m not valuable.”
A few weeks later he didn’t claim he’d changed his personality.
He just said:
“I’m making clearer decisions. I’m less reactive. I’m actually thinking again.”
That’s the point.
Rest isn’t the opposite of ambition – it’s what makes leadership possible.
What Actually Helps (Beyond Surface-Level Self-Care)
Before we go further, a quick boundary note – because it matters.
Coaching isn’t therapy, and it doesn’t diagnose or treat mental health conditions. But it can be a practical, supportive space for high-performing professionals to work with patterns that often sit underneath burnout, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism – especially the inner rules, identity pressure, and nervous-system habits that keep you stuck in overdrive.
My approach is grounded and practical, designed for high performers who want sustainable change without pressure, drama, or judgement.
My coaching approach follows a simple path:
Awareness → Acceptance → Execution → Sustainable Progress → Fulfilment + Inner Peace
If what you’re experiencing feels severe or persistent (panic symptoms, ongoing low mood, intense anxiety, or you feel unsafe), involving a qualified mental health professional alongside coaching can be a wise next step.
High-Performance Recovery (Not Just Time Off)
For high achievers, rest isn’t only time off – it’s the ability to switch off.
A simple way to start is to build two small cues into your day:
- a closing ritual (to clear mental clutter and reduce rumination, so your brain stops carrying open loops into the night )
- a transition (so your mind and body register that the workday is over)
The goal isn’t perfect boundaries. It’s consistency – small actions that train your system to disengage.
Rewriting the “I’m Only Worthy When I Perform” Script
This is the deeper thread under perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and infinite workdays.
Often, the belief is:
“My value is conditional.”
Rewriting that script doesn’t mean becoming complacent.
It means learning to separate:
- identity from output
- worth from usefulness
- safety from other people’s approval
You can still be ambitious. You can still lead. You can still achieve.
But you do it from a steadier place.
Talking to Someone Who Understands High-Achiever Wiring
High achievers don’t need more motivation.
They often need:
- a space where they don’t have to perform
- language for what’s happening internally
- support that’s calm, precise, and non-judgemental
- someone who can hold both high standards and human capacity
This is where coaching can help: not by “fixing you,” but by helping you lead yourself differently – with less internal cost.
A quiet self-check
If you recognise yourself in this, consider these questions – not to diagnose yourself, but to notice what’s true:
- When did work start feeling like it follows you home?
- What happens in your body when you try to stop?
- What are you afraid would happen if you delivered “good enough”?
- Where are you succeeding externally while silently struggling internally?
Awareness isn’t the finish line.
But it is the beginning of choice.
And once awareness lands, practical questions tend to follow. Here are the ones I hear most often from high-performing leaders.
FAQ:
1) How do I switch off after work when my brain won’t stop?
2) Is it burnout… or am I just bad at my job?
3) Why does imposter syndrome get worse after a promotion?
4) How do I stop perfectionism from turning into self-punishment?
5) What is an ‘infinite workday’ - and how do I know I’m in one?
6) Can coaching help with burnout, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism or do I need therapy?
A Thoughtful Place To Begin
If this article put language to something you’ve been carrying, you don’t have to sort it out alone.
I offer a complimentary 90-minute Discovery Session – a calm, confidential space to step back from the noise and get clarity on what’s really driving the pressure. We’ll map what’s happening, what you want to change, and what “sustainable” would look like for you.
There’s no pressure and no obligation. If it feels like a fit, we’ll discuss next steps. If it’s not, you’ll still leave with clearer insight and a practical direction forward.
👉 Schedule Your Free 90 Minutes Session Here
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