From a nervous system perspective, high-functioning anxiety is often a state of ongoing sympathetic activation - the body’s “fight or flight” system staying on, even when there is no real danger. This system is meant to help us respond to stress in bursts so that we can focus, problem-solve, and take the action that we need.

Entrepreneurs are conditioned to chase growth, results, and wins. From the outside, it looks like progress should equate to happiness, but what actually happens is the opposite. In the psychology world, this is known as the achievement paradox.