Listen to “What to Do When You Feel You Never Do Enough”.
Where does the feeling of anxiety that we’re never doing enough come from? It may stem from seeing other people’s successes on social media, triggering feelings of inadequacy. Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself can also make you think that nothing you do is ever quite good enough.
Do you feel like you keep doing more but never do enough? If the answer is yes, you may be caught in a cycle of toxic productivity. The question is: when does productivity become toxic? It can look different for each of us, but feeling burned out or having feelings of low self-worth indicates that productivity has turned toxic.
Here are some of the key indicators that your productivity has turned toxic. Check which ones fit for you:
- I feel guilty when I take time off.
- I feel anxious when I am still.
- I feel sad that I am not where I “should” be in life.
- I feel scared that I am going to be left behind.
- I feel alone and long for people to see my value.
- I feel afraid there is not enough.
To unhook from toxic productivity is to stop believing the negative things your mind tells you. The ultimate goal is to choose your actions and not your unpleasant emotions or your mind’s narrative.
Here are some practical steps to help you get started:
1. Set realistic boundaries and expectations for yourself. You cannot do everything. Be realistic with the amount of time and energy you have to dedicate to things.
2. Stop comparing your life to everyone else’s. Set realistic goals and expectations for yourself that you know you can achieve, and don’t worry about what other people think.
3. Analyse your self-esteem. Low self-esteem often stems from deep-rooted issues. This becomes clear looking at the common reasons for not feeling good enough. If you listen deeply, your inner voice is critical and judgemental.
4. Negative thought control. It is easy to convince ourselves we are “positive thinkers”, yet many don’t take the time to listen to their thoughts properly. If we do, we might discover it’s like a radio show of negativity.
Meditation is a wonderful technique for slowing down and hearing your thoughts more clearly. It is about listening and letting go of thoughts without judgement.
If you find it difficult to meditate or concentrate, you can try Positive Affirmations for Negative Thoughts in the DeepH app meditation section.
We rarely celebrate when people are present, well-rested, or meet reasonable goals. However, we are human, and we will have some days where we achieve less than we do on other days, but that shouldn’t take away from who we are and our value as individuals.
