The Overachiever’s Guide to Taking a Break (Without Spiraling Into an Existential Crisis)

For high-achievers, the phrase “just take a break” lands about as well as “just relax” or “just stop overthinking.”

In other words—it’s a personal attack.

Taking a break should be easy. Just…stop working, right? Close the laptop. Walk away. Breathe deeply.

Except—five minutes in, you’re staring at the ceiling thinking:

• “What am I even doing with my life?”

• “Am I wasting time right now? Should I be doing something productive?”

• “How long until I can justify working again?”

Before you know it, your ‘rest’ period turns into an overanalyzed identity crisis. And suddenly, taking a break feels more exhausting than just powering through.

So let’s talk about why overachievers are physically incapable of resting like normal humans. And how to actually take a break without mentally imploding.

Why Rest Feels Like a Threat to Your Entire Existence

If you’re an ambitious, achievement-driven person, your brain has spent years conditioning itself to equate productivity with worth.

🚨 Doing something = good. Doing nothing = dangerous. 🚨

So when you try to pause, your brain panics:

• “But what if we’re falling behind?!”

• “What if someone else is outworking us right now?”

• “What if we never accomplish anything ever again and this break is the beginning of our downfall?”

I used to genuinely believe I was built differently. (Read: I thought I was a machine.)
And honestly, other people did too.

One time, early in my corporate leadership career, a team member said, “We’re all thoroughly impressed with your superhuman abilities, but we cannot operate like you.”

It was meant as a compliment. It was also…a reality check.

Another colleague literally gave me permission to be human—because I wouldn’t take it myself. And let’s not even get started on my old leader, who had to force me to take PTO because my vacation bank was maxed out. (A problem I didn’t think was a problem at the time.)

Even my own dad celebrates when I take a nap—because he knows it’s basically a miracle when I do. (I hate naps. They make me feel sluggish and weak, like my internal productivity meter short-circuited.)

My point is that overachievers don’t just struggle to rest. We reject it.

Because somewhere along the way, we turned rest into something we have to ‘earn.’

And when you believe you’re only valuable because you get things done, the idea of pausing feels like an identity crisis waiting to happen.

How to Take a Break Without Losing Your Mind (or Identity)

Since we technically have to rest in order to function like real humans, let’s break down how to do it without triggering an existential crisis.

1. Define What a Break Actually Is

One of the biggest reasons overachievers struggle with rest is we don’t know what counts as a break.

Are we allowed to scroll Instagram? Read a business book? Bake sourdough from scratch (asking for a friend)?

Instead of making it vague, define it.

✅ A break is intentional time away from work, responsibility, or “doing”… with no expectation of productivity.

Key phrase: NO EXPECTATION OF PRODUCTIVITY.

If you’re “taking a break” while simultaneously brainstorming a new idea or planning your next move, that’s just working in disguise. Try again.

2. Give Your Brain a “Bridge” Activity

If your brain refuses to go from hyper-productivity to full-on stillness, give it something in between:

✔️ Coloring, doodling, or sketching
✔️ Mindless TV (not educational documentaries…nice try)
✔️ Walking while listening to non-business podcasts
✔️ Playing a game (yes, even Candy Crush counts)
✔️ Something that engages your hands but not your work brain

I stumbled into this realization completely by accident.

A while ago, I picked up a pencil for the first time in 20 years. I wasn’t “taking a break” on purpose—I was just trying to reconnect with something that had nothing to do with work.

And it worked.

It gave my brain a reset without making me feel like I was wasting time.

Research backs this up too: engaging in creative, hands-on activities (like drawing, playing music, or knitting) can reduce stress, improve mood, and actually enhance problem-solving skills. So, if your brain needs a break but still craves movement, give it something non-work-related to focus on.

3. Set a Freaking Timer (Because Open-Ended Breaks Are a Trap)

For some of us, “taking a break” without a set timeframe feels like stepping into a black hole.

→ Too short? We don’t feel rested.
→ Too long? We start spiraling into guilt.

The solution? Set a timer.

Decide before your break starts: “I’m resting for 30 minutes.”

When the timer goes off, you reassess how you feel instead of panicking that you’ve “wasted too much time.”

4. Remember That Resting Is Doing Something

High-achievers struggle with rest because we feel like it’s a passive, useless activity.

But here’s the truth:

🌿 Rest is productive. It prevents burnout, improves creativity, and gives your brain time to process information.
🌿 Rest is maintenance. You don’t expect your phone to run 24/7 without a charge. Why do you expect yourself to?
🌿 Rest is not a reward. You don’t have to earn the right to be a human who takes breaks.

And every successful person you admire? They rest.

(And if they don’t, they’re probably one caffeine overdose away from snapping so maybe don’t use them as your role model.)

Final Thought: You’re Not Lazy, You’re Just Human

If taking a break makes you anxious, you’re not alone.

But avoiding rest doesn’t make you more productive. It just makes you more exhausted.

So the next time you catch yourself spiraling mid-break, remind your brain:

• You are still ambitious.

• You are still capable.

• You are still the same overachiever who gets things done.

You’re just also a human being who needs rest.

Break first. Bloom Later. Nap now.

🌿 Kris