How to Cope in Stressful and Uncertain Times

Stressful and uncertain times can shake even the most accomplished individuals. If you're a high achiever, chances are, you're used to being the one others rely on. Known for your ability to stay composed under pressure and deliver results, you might assume you can power through anything. But even the most successful professionals can feel destabilized when life or world events feel unpredictable. The same drive that fuels your success can amplify stress when things feel beyond your control. In these moments, it’s common to overanalyze decisions, work excessively to compensate for uncertainty, or feel persistently on edge. Stress and anxiety thrive in ambiguity and can hijack work performance, relationships, and health if ignored or neglected.

Coping in Uncertain Times

It can feel counterintuitive, but the key to coping isn’t doing more. It’s slowing down and recalibrating. Here are some strategies high achievers can use to manage stress during uncertain times:

1. Pause and Name What You’re Feeling
   High achievers tend to lean into doing and thinking vs feeling. Naming your experience "I feel unsettled" or "I’m carrying too much right now" creates space for reflection rather than reaction.

2. Challenge the Perfectionist Voice
   The drive to do more, faster, and better can spike under pressure. Instead, remind yourself: flexibility is a form of strength. Letting go of perfection allows you to adapt effectively.

3. Build Micro-Routines
   Uncertainty can erode structure. Create small, consistent rituals to ground you like setting a work start and stop time, or beginning your day with five deep breaths.

4. Anchor in What You Can Control
   Focus on actionable steps: organizing your calendar or preparing for one task at a time. This helps reduce the overwhelm that comes from spinning in the unknown.

5. Stay Connected
   Don’t underestimate the power of human connection. A five-minute call, a check-in with a friend, or a brief session with a therapist can help you reset emotionally.

6. Make Space for Uncertainty
   High achievers often want answers now. Practice tolerating the unknown by reminding yourself that discomfort doesn’t mean danger and that clarity often comes with time.

7. Lean on Support
   You don’t have to navigate stress alone. As explored in this blog on how high achievers deal with stress, seeking support doesn’t make you weak it makes you wise. High achievers who manage stress well often turn to trusted loved ones and professionals to stay grounded.

8. Practice Self Compassion

   You may know that a sleep and workout routine helps you feel your best, but it’s hard to keep up healthy patterns in times of stress and uncertainty  Practice self compassion when you don’t do what you “should,” and practice gently guiding yourself back to healthy habits vs lingering in self recrimination or guilt. 

How Therapy Can Help High Achievers Cope with Anxiety

At Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates, we understand the unique pressures that come with being a high achiever in a globally connected city. You’ve worked hard to build your success and you deserve to feel good while sustaining it. Therapy can help you:

• Understand the roots of your stress and anxiety

• Develop tools to manage stress effectively

• Learn to set boundaries without guilt

• Reconnect with your values beyond performance

• Balance your engagement with the world with acceptance for what is beyond your control

Our expert anxiety therapists at Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates are equipped to help you develop effective strategies to balance your accomplishments  with your well-being. Start your journey towards a healthier, more sustainable success by booking a free consultation today. Follow these three simple steps to get started:

1. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if anxiety therapy is right for you.

2. Begin meeting with one of our skilled anxiety therapists.

3. Start coping with your stress as a high achiever in uncertain times.

Other Services Offered at Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates in Washington D.C. & Virginia

At Dr. Dawn Johnson & Associates, we want to help you thrive. In addition to navigating periods of stress uncertainty, we help clients struggling with anxiety, depression, relationships, infertility, academic or work concerns, disordered eating, and more.