Ambition and drive are prized in our culture.  Often the excitement of ambition has a darker twin - a sense of constant worry, hypervigilance, and a need to be “on” all the time.  When this happens, drive turns from asset to liability.  How do we know when things have gone too far in the wrong direction?  It can be a very slippery slope… Differentiating drive vs. anxiety Drive:  Positive, motivated, goal‑directed energy that feels purposeful, exciting and satisfying. Goals are specific and...

Depression doesn’t always feel like sadness, or look like staying in bed all day/rotting. Among high‑achieving professionals it frequently presents in subtle, high‑functioning ways that are easy to miss — by colleagues, family, and even by the person affected. Recognizing these presentations is the first step toward effective treatment.  However, feelings of unhappiness or dissatisfaction become unavoidable, even if hidden from others. How depression can present in high achievers: Preserved...

When success feels hollow... Often, especially in competitive cities like New York, you are shown and digest a landscape of concrete goals that you expect yourself to achieve.  In expensive cities, it often seems critical to achieve a great deal in order to have a comfortable life.   There’s pressure coming from all angles, and the city seems full of intimidatingly impossible and heroic success stories.  Examples of this include: ·        Attending prestigious universities, ·        Attaining...