Confession of a Workaholic suffering with anxiety

 I think many of us feel the pressure on our 25th birthday...or at least I did...that day changed EVERYTHING! I remember when I was little I always thought by 25 I’d have it all…My dream job, a house, a family, the whole shebang BUT that’s not the case at all! The first thing that popped in my head when I woke up on my 25th birthday is ‘Oh crap, I’m getting old.’ As many of you know I’m a pretty ambitious person and I strive for perfection (yeah I’m a perfectionist) which can sometimes lead to being a workaholic. I work full time and then I have my foundation and blog that I do on the side. Don't get me wrong I LOVE doing it all but it can sometimes get crazy! After realizing that I am 25 and not where I thought I would be at 25, I started working even more, every free moment I had I would be working. At the beginning I thought to myself “I can work this much no problem!”…Well so I thought until things got a little out of hand. I started getting anxiety attacks every evening and during the day I wasn’t able to work properly because I was so burnt out; I think I was actually losing my mind! I kept wondering what was happening with my body? Being a workaholic was happening! I had to accept the fact I was overworking myself and because of this I was dealing with anxiety. With that being said there were 2 two things I could do, take medication for the anxiety or change my lifestyle.

Here are the steps I’ve taken to deal with my anxiety:

I STOP WORKING AT 5 P.M.

Some may say that this is a lack of ambition when you don’t work 10-16 hour days. But In my opinion, it isn’t. Knowing that I have from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. to plan my work for the entire day makes me more productive. At 5 p.m. I shut down my computer and I am not allowed to do any more work, I like to call this ‘me time’ things can wait until the next day. I take the evening to do what I want; spend time with family, meet up with a friend for coffee, hit the gym or binge watch one of my favorite shows (currently loving Suits!)

I GO TO BED NO LATER THAN 10 P.M.

Yes, I have a bedtime! I like structure for myself because it helps me stay on track and is extremely important. I go to bed at 10 p.m and wake up at 6 a.m. I could get up at 6:30 but I like to take 30 minutes in the morning to watch the news, eat breakfast and drink my coffee. It’s my morning ritual.

I EAT BREAKFAST

I am so much more productive when I take the time to prepare myself a proper breakfast. I can focus better and I have more energy. I love to have a ‘Proat’s’ (oatmeal with protein powder, some fruit and nuts).

STOP WORRYING WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE THINKS

Stop caring too much about what other people think, just enjoy your life and do what you love. Also stop trying to make everyone else happy; I am super guilty of this. Remember you can’t please everyone!

Stephanie xo