If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your perpetual “go-go-go” lifestyle, you’re not alone. Many individuals—especially high-achievers—feel themselves inching closer and closer to burnout if they don’t make some serious changes related to their mindset, habits and priorities.
Organizational psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich, author of Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (released on April 1), knows this well. For years, she’s been researching how to navigate stress and setbacks.
“As part of my team’s five-year research program on how we can thrive through tough times, my team interviewed hundreds of high achievers—and kept hearing the same quiet confession: ‘I thought I was fine… until I wasn’t,'” Dr. Eurich tells Parade, explaining that one of the most surprising takeaways of the research was that “even the strongest, most ‘together’ people are quietly falling apart.”
It might feel isolating when you’re experiencing this, however, you’re anything but alone.
“In a world that keeps demanding more of us, even the strongest are hitting what I call their resilience ceiling—that moment when your usual coping tools stop working, and you’re left confused and unable to cope,” she continues. “The tools we’ve trusted—optimism, gratitude, meditation—still help. But they’re no longer enough. So if you’re barely holding it together, it’s not because you’re broken; it’s because you’re human.”
Here, Dr. Eurich is sharing her favorite tips and tricks to help high-achievers navigate daily pressures and strain. Plus, she reveals the one myth about resilience that we should all stop believing ASAP, and why it’s harmful.
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The Resilience Myth We Need To Stop Believing
The myth we need to completely throw out? “That resilience makes us stronger.”
“We’ve been told it’s a kind of emotional superpower: that if we build it like a muscle, we’ll thrive through anything,” Dr. Eurich tells Parade. “But my team’s research—reviewing 1,300 studies and running our own research—revealed something very different: resilience doesn’t make us stronger or better. It’s about getting back to our baseline.”
So, what does that actually mean?
“Most top resilience researchers define it as some variation of not falling apart—not thriving, not transforming, just holding steady,” she continues. “That’s not a flaw in resilience; it’s what it was designed to do. The problem? We expect it to carry us to some amazing, elevated place when, in reality, it’s more like emotional duct tape: helpful in a pinch, but not a strategy for reinvention. So if you’ve done everything ‘right’—been tough, stayed positive, pushed through—and still feel stuck or depleted, you’re not doing resilience ‘wrong.’ You’re just ready for something beyond resilience.”
Instead, we can try to shift our mindset and give ourselves a whole lot of grace at the same time.
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The Best Mindset for High-Achievers, According to an Organizational Psychologist
Dr. Eurich calls it “The 10% Buffer.”
“Most high achievers run at 100% all the time—max effort, max output, max pressure,” she tells Parade. “But that pace isn’t sustainable, especially in today’s world. So I recommend this: give yourself permission to be excellent only 90% of the time. That extra 10%? It’s your breathing room—space to rest, recover or simply be human without feeling like you’re falling behind.”
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The 2-2-2- Tool She Swears By
“I first came up with the 2-2-2 tool during one of the lowest moments of my life,” Dr. Eurich tells Parade. “After years of mysterious symptoms and specialist visits, I’d finally landed an appointment at a world-famous clinic—expecting answers, hope, even healing. Instead, I walked out stunned, dismissed and misdiagnosed… again. I made it back to my hotel and thought: I can’t do this anymore.“
But her next move changed everything.
“In that moment, I remembered a tool I’d been shaping—a way to hit pause without giving up,” she continues. “A small, structured break for 48 hours.” Here’s how it works:
- In the next 2 minutes: Get immediate relief. Example: Take ten deep breaths, or say out loud, “This is hard—and I’m allowed to feel it.”
- In the next 2 hours: Do something small to decompress. The goal is peace. Example: Call a friend who gets it, or go for a walk to reset your brain.
- In the next 2 days: Step back—just a little. The goal is restoration. Give yourself permission to mentally drop the problem for 48 hours.
“That night, the 2-2-2 tool gave me just enough space to catch my breath and keep going,” Dr. Eurich says. “Three years later, I have a diagnosis—hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome—and I’ve learned how to work with my body instead of fighting it. The 2-2-2 tool didn’t fix everything, but it helped me take the next step when I didn’t know how.”
And she continues to benefit from this simple tool.
“To this day, use the 2-2-2 tool for meltdowns big and small,” she shares. “It’s not about fixing the whole problem. It’s about giving yourself space to keep fighting.”
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3 Other Helpful Habits for High-Achievers To Adopt
Whether you’re overwhelmed before a stressful meeting, preparing for a difficult conversation, trying to shake off imposter syndrome, or just feeling weighed down from the expectations you’ve placed on yourself in general, here are some of Dr. Eurich’s favorite tricks to help with confidence and resilience.
1. Make Purposeful ‘Mistakes’
“If you really want to test your perfectionism, try this: Do something badly—on purpose,” Dr. Eurich says. “I mean it. Send a text with a lowercase ‘i.’ Wear mismatched socks. Let someone else do a task their way, not yours. It’s a small rebellion against the pressure to always get it right—and it’s surprisingly freeing.”
2. Visualize Your Future Self
“Before a high-stakes moment, I picture a very chill, future version of me who has already gotten through it,” Dr. Eurich explains. “I’ll ask, ‘What did she do?’ It calms the noise and helps me lead with confidence, not fear.”
3. ‘Find a Fact’
“If you’re spiraling, find a fact,” Dr. Eurich tells Parade. “Instead of worrying, ‘What’s going to happen?’ ask ‘What’s true right now?’ Grounding in the present is a fast track out of anxiety.”
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Source:
- Dr. Tasha Eurich is a NY Times best-selling author and organizational psychologist. Her viral TED talk on Self Awareness, has racked up over 10M views across platforms.
