High-Functioning, Overwhelmed, and Tired: When Therapy Can Help
You have heard the saying before, “you can do anything you want, but not everything you want”.
You know this. You understand it. Yet you secretly believe you can be the exception to the rule. You can beat the odds, and ‘figure it out’.
You spend years trying to prove it wrong. You work harder. You become more organized. You try and be a better parent, a better spouse, a better friend, a better employee. You volunteer for one more thing, take on one more responsibility, and show up for one more person.
The problem is that something always gets left behind. More often than not, that something is YOU!
You remember everyone’s appointments but forget your own needs
you spend so much energy trying to stay organized, focused and emotionally regulated that there is nothing left for yourself.
You keep telling yourself if you just try a little harder, manage your time a little better, or become a little more efficient, you will finally be able to do it.
You adapt because that is what you have always done. You figure it out and keep going. People compliment you on how you get it all done, they say things like, “oh, I could never do all that”. The problem is that you do not have the luxury of not getting it done. you are tired of always having to figure it out.
What others do not see is the emotional labor of managing not only your own feelings, but often everyone else’s as well. The constant planning, the endless decision making, and how hard you are working just to keep everything together.
Many women think this is just how things are supposed to be. You feel like everyone else has it figured out except you. You feel alone and isolated and cannot understand why you just can not “get it together”. I am here to tell you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
This is where therapy can be beneficial. You may have spent years developing systems, coping strategies and routines to help manage life. You may have become incredibly skilled at masking your struggles and compensating for difficulties with focus, organization, or executive functioning. Just because you have learned to manage, or given the illusion of managing it, does not mean you are doing fine. I understand that! Managing and thriving are not the same thing.
Here is what therapy with me can offer:
A place where you do not have to be responsible for anyone else
A place where you do not have to have all the answers
A place where the focus gets to be on you
A place where we discover needs, goals, and hopes
A place where you can reconnect with yourself
Most importantly, therapy can help you recognize that your worth is not determined by much you accomplish or how much you do for others. You do not have to earn rest, you do not have to justify your need for support, and you do not have to wait until everything falls apart. It is OK to seek support because life feels harder than it needs to.
You are allowed peace
You are allowed balance
You are allowed to want more than survival
You are allowed to want a life that feels meaningful, connected, and sustainable.
Maybe it is not “are you struggling enough”. Maybe it is whether you are tired of carrying everything alone.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck in the cycle of trying harder and doing more, therapy can help. I will help you reconnect with the version of yourself that exists beyond the endless to-do list.
At Inner Embodiment Counseling, I work with women struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, perfectionism, and the constant feeling that you should be doing more. I would love to come alongside you and support you to start living with intention and self-trust.
Reach out today to schedule a free consultation by phone, text, or email.
Kimberly Vansickel, MA, LPC, CEDS
Kimberly@innerembodimentcounseling.com
903-206-1610
