Overachievers thrive on hectic schedules, long hours, short breaks, and a lifestyle that makes most people exhausted just by reading about it. They need it, they want it – it’s the only thing that gets the blood moving. Furthermore, achievements and ambitions are a core part of their personalities. Do you think any of this describes you, at least a little? Then you should be aware that you need to take care of your physical and emotional health.

Burn-out is a very real and dangerous thing. The accumulated stress and lack of rest will catch up to you sooner or later, it’s only a matter of time. This results in you getting sick more often, feeling constantly anxious and on edge, and just becoming less productive and happy in general. But, if you develop a couple of healthy habits, you can put all of this under control.

1. Take care of your posture

As an overachiever, you probably spend a lot of time over a book, or in front of a computer screen. We get that, you need to get the work done. However, in time, this will ruin your posture and lead to all sort of back problems. Sitting all day, hunched over, will make you look unconfident as well. This is why you need to keep two things in mind.

First, focus on how you walk and sit. Keep your back straight, chest out, shoulders back, and have your eyes be in line with the screen. Try to walk with your hips parallel to the ground. This means don’t curve your backside to far back just to keep your chest out.

The second is to do active exercises for your posture. A good morning stretching routine will do wonders, as will joining a yoga class. You should also make a break from sitting once per hour. Stand up, walk around, and stretch. Doing a couple of pushups can also be beneficial.

2. Do your cardio

Any exercise is good – weightlifting, mountain climbing, dancing… However, we advise you focus on cardio as much as you can. The reason here is that when you focus on cardio, you focus on developing the greatest amount of energy you can. You also burn up fat faster, and you keep your heart pressure low. So, go with either biking, swimming, or running. Biking may even be the best option here because besides being an excellent form of exercise, it has the added benefit of getting you from point A to point B, while being completely eco-conscious.

Depending on how you want to use it, you can get a mountain bike (if you enjoy riding around on dirt roads) or a regular city speed bike. You can also invest in one of high-quality electric bikes, which allow you to exercise regularly when you want, and you can also use them to turn your commute into an enjoyable activity.

3. Be mindful of your diet

What do you get when you fuel a race car with the worst, cheapest, possible gas you can find? You get a vehicle that may run one race, or maybe even ten, but it’s only a matter of time before it breaks down and falls apart. So why would you treat yourself any different?

You need high-quality fuel to run properly, do get all the work that you want to get done, done. So, try to eat a regular diet, with lots of fruit, vegetables, and chicken. Try to avoid fast food as much as you can. Furthermore, in case you have a tendency to get so engrossed into your work that you forget to eat, we suggest to at least have some nuts and dried fruit nearby. These are healthy, calorie-laden alternatives that will at least keep you from getting woozy.

4. Practice actual self-care

Start practising actual emotional self-care. No, taking a break from time to time is not the end of the world. Think of breaks and self-care as further investments into you reaching your ambitions. Trust us, if you don’t take care of your mental health, you will drive yourself crazy.

So, start meditating, read books, take some time for yourself. Think of the things you actually enjoy, and allocate at least an hour per day just to that one thing. And remember, this hour is a guilt-free hour of relaxation. It would be best if you could do things with people you like to spend time with, or at least do something that forces you to move, not just sit at home all day.

Conclusion

The modern busy overachiever needs to take care of him or herself- otherwise, he or she won’t be able to achieve anything for far too long. There is a difference between giving your 100% and working yourself into a very early grave. With a couple of healthy habits, you can keep your high levels of productivity, while at the same time maintaining your sanity and health.