 Hey, Psych2Goers! Do you have big goals and dreams? Despite how challenging and lofty some of them may sound, once you have an ambition set in place and a vision of where the finish line will be, you're dead set on making it. If this is you, then you're likely to be a high achiever. While it may sound like a grand title to have, being someone so dedicated to reaching success can also cause you to pick up a couple of not-so-healthy habits and practices along the way. But, by acknowledging them and understanding their consequences, you can use what you know to help change any harmful behaviors you have. So, here are five toxic habits of high achievers. Number one, you find it hard to say no. Is it difficult for you to decline someone's requests? If you're a high achiever, then it's likely that people know you to be hard-working and reliable, making you everyone's go-to when there's a favor to be asked or done. Whether it's your boss handing you an almost toppling paperwork stack to complete or a friend asking for homework answers, you might find yourself saying yes. This difficulty to decline and say no might be due to a need to please other people, which may stem from a fear of disappointment or wanting to avoid conflict, especially with superiors like teachers or bosses. But being unable to voice a genuine answer prevents you from defending your needs. Like your time and energy, and doubles any stress you already have, making you prone to burnout. Number two, you're too independent for your own good. Do you see yourself as your best teammate? While being an independent worker is great. Everyone has times where they aren't able to shoulder everything they want to take on. If you struggle to seek help when things get overwhelming, it's unhealthy to force yourself to try and get the tasks done anyway. Whether you do so because of pride, or because you think you'll be a burden to others, it's important to know that asking for help is more than okay. And doing so doesn't mean you're any less capable as a person. At the end of the day, you have a limited amount of energy and can only take on so much. This is why sometimes two heads can be better than one when you're in need of a helping hand. Number three, you're a perfectionist. Are you someone who never settles for anything less than an A plus? When you set high standards like this for yourself, you may also set yourself up for disappointment, since even the slightest fall from your standards can result in a big blow to your self-esteem. If you are a perfectionist, your self-worth may be reliant on your performance, or you may only feel validation from your achievements. If so, high achievers like you might often find yourself dealing with self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy, and difficulty coping with failures. By striving for perfection, you disregard the fact that you are human and you're bound to make mistakes. This, needless to say, is not a healthy approach to doing your best. Number four, you're highly self-critical. Are you your own worst enemy? Even when you do a job well done, you might still find something to criticize. Because of this tendency to fixate over your weaknesses instead of your strengths, you might be always selling yourself short to others. Being so self-critical may be a result of low self-esteem, and possibly because of growing up around parents or guardians who placed unrealistic standards on you. Being hyper-critical can cause you to blame yourself for every mistake and failure that happens, and also make you someone unable to accept compliments from others as is, by always responding with a flaw of yours to bring yourself down. We all have our moments of self-pity and self-blame when things don't go our way. But it's important to remember, even the most well accomplished people have had their fair share of failures too. And number five, you neglect self-care. Do you believe that you always have to be working hard to achieve your goals? If so, you might also believe that the fastest way to success is to work constant, long, hard hours each day. Because of this, you might skip while needed breaks, have a poor sleep schedule, and not make time for activities you like to do for the sake of entertainment. Being fixated on making the most of your time by only doing work can also lead to feelings of guilt, when you do spend time with your family or friends or doing activities to relax. By neglecting self-care, high achievers like you are likely to work yourself to the point of burnout, which you might only realize once it's too late. So are you a high achiever? Let us know in the comments below. 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