You can still find the champagne glasses sitting on the counter in the kitchen. We are still receiving messages of congratulations, which are lighting up the phone. A promotion has been secured, a company has been sold, a book has been published, and a goal that has been fought for a very long time has finally been accomplished. Observing it from the outside, it appears to be arrival.
Inside, there is a feeling that is… off. There is a possibility that the most disorienting aspect of success is not the ascent itself, but rather the silence that has followed it.
In the field of psychology, the term “success anxiety,” which is also sometimes referred to as achievemephobia, is sometimes considered to be a type of high-functioning anxiety. However, rather than entering a state of calm, the nervous system continues to remain active, constantly monitoring for potential dangers and preparing for the possibility of collapse. Within the context of the “let-down effect,” Dr. Jim Folk explains how stress can continue to keep the fear center of the brain active for a considerable amount of time after a major pressure point has passed. To put it another way, the body does not immediately believe that the threat has passed completely.
| Name | Dr. Jim Folk |
|---|---|
| Profession | Anxiety Specialist & Author |
| Known For | Research on the “Let-Down Effect” in anxiety recovery |
| Focus Area | Stress physiology, fear-center activation, chronic anxiety |
| Reference Website | https://www.anxietycentre.com |
There is a pattern that occurs in both boardrooms and creative studios. This pattern is extremely common. It is helpful to have adrenaline during the pursuit phase, which includes building the startup, training for the competition, and persistently working toward tenure. It helps to sharpen focus. The late nights are justified by it. Nevertheless, once the objective has been accomplished, the chemical momentum does not always dissipate neatly.
As an alternative, it searches for a new target.
One of the founders of a company in Shoreditch once recounted the experience of closing a significant funding round and then lying awake at 2:36 in the morning, staring at the ceiling, calculating runway, and imagining the disappointment of investors. If we were to judge him by the standards of LinkedIn, he had “made it.” However, his mind continued to practice the idea of collapsing. What if there is a decrease in revenue? What takes place if the group loses faith? What if this was just a stroke of luck?
It is difficult to ignore the fact that a celebration can quickly turn into maintenance as time goes on.
There is a possibility that the burden of maintaining success is more significant than the struggle to achieve it. In the past, there was a distinct objective, which was to arrive at the destination. So, the question that arises now is: are you able to remain there? The more elevated the platform, the steeper the fall will appear to be.
At this very moment, imposter syndrome slowly but surely flourishes. Even seasoned executives will occasionally admit, in private, that they have the feeling that they are not deserving. They believe that success is the result of timing, connections, luck, or anything else other than ability. A commenter on Quora put it quite bluntly: if you believe that luck is the most important factor in your success, then anxiety will naturally follow. There is no way to predict luck. It cannot be managed in any way.
One gets the impression that success is more likely to expose than it is to protect.
Perfectionism makes the situation more complicated. Internal scorecards that never reset are frequently used by high achievers in their daily operations. The new baseline is denoted by the achievement of a milestone. A single error can feel like a catastrophe. The brain, which has already been trained to over-function, continues to look for errors, such as missed details, soft metrics, and subtle shifts in tone from coworkers.
It is not yet clear whether this is a characteristic of the individual’s personality or a cultural byproduct. In fields that are experiencing continuous expansion, such as technology, finance, and the media, plateaus are dangerous. Investors appear to be under the impression that stagnation is synonymous with decline. This way of thinking creeps inward.
Then there is the concept of identity.
One might, for a considerable amount of time, characterize oneself as “the underdog,” “the scrappy builder,” or “the one trying to break through and succeed.” Success causes that narrative to be disrupted. There is a sudden shift in expectations. The reactions of friends are distinct. The distance between old friends can grow. A new room has an unfamiliar feeling.
When the brain perceives uncertainty, even positive uncertainty, it perceives it as a threat. The experience of moving into a larger office or taking the stage in front of a larger audience may feel less like a triumph and more like exposure.
The same undercurrent is revealed when one observes public figures, such as athletes and artists, struggling with this issue. When an individual wins a championship or an award, during interviews, they frequently reveal a surprising admission: they feel a mixture of relief and emptiness. The pursuit served as a source of structure. The accomplishment creates breathing room.
Space can be a source of unease.
One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the “let-down effect.” The body works at a higher level of alertness when it is subjected to prolonged stress. After the stressor has been eliminated, the decline of stress hormones occurs at a slower rate than what the conscious mind anticipates. This lag can bring back long-dormant fears, even those that were thought to be extinguished. Several weeks after achieving a significant victory, an executive who has previously struggled with anxiety may find that old worries have returned.
This rebound may give the impression of betrayal. Were we not able to fix this?
There is also the factor of burnout. The amount of effort that is required to “make it” frequently requires one to ignore exhaustion. When the objective is accomplished, fatigue sets in, and the adrenaline’s ability to conceal it is no longer present. It is possible that what appears to be anxiety is actually depletion.
Additionally, there is a more subtle misinterpretation at play here. Both anxiety and excitement are characterized by similar physical manifestations, such as a racing heart, restless energy, and heightened focus. It is possible that high achievers who are accustomed to interpreting bodily cues as threats will incorrectly label the rush of new responsibility as fear. Whatever the case may be, the sensation is intense.
According to the arguments of numerous psychologists, positive self-talk is not delusion; rather, it is recalibration. When you change the way you talk to yourself internally, from “I don’t belong here” to “I earned this,” you can silence the little voice that predicts that you will fail. However, this shift requires some practice. A sense of self-assurance is not acquired overnight.
Anxiety about success may draw attention to something fundamentally human: the fact that success does not resolve identity. It amplifies the effect.
One successful journalist once wrote openly and honestly that the demons do not vanish with bylines and accolades. They accompany you on your journey, muttering doubts in more spacious rooms. Situations are altered when recognition is given. Rewriting internal narratives that were formed years earlier is not something that happens automatically.
In spite of this, there is a peculiarly comforting quality to this pattern. It is not a sign that you are broken if you experience anxiety after achieving success. It may indicate that you care. There is a possibility that your nervous system is adjusting to the new environment.
Recalibrating is something that a lot of successful people are doing late at night in their offices, where they are archiving their congratulatory emails and the rest of the world is assuming that everything is in order. Take a breath. Changing the perspective. Mastering the art of making success feel secure.
The ascent was a rough one. Living there is a different experience.
There is a possibility that the real work does not begin at the peak, but rather in the process of learning how to remain still without preparing for the fall.