The Perfectionism-Anxiety Loop: Why You Can’t Stop Overworking

If you find yourself staying late, reworking projects that are already finished, or obsessively checking emails long after hours, perfectionism may be running the show. The loop is subtle but exhausting: striving for perfection leads to stress, which creates anxiety, which in turn pushes you to work even harder. The harder you work, the more stressed you become. And so the cycle continues.

This loop is especially common among high achievers who are praised for their dedication and results. But beneath that surface-level success is a chronic fear: the fear of falling short. You’re not just trying to do well—you’re trying to avoid failure, criticism, or being seen as inadequate. This fear keeps your nervous system on high alert and makes it incredibly hard to rest.

Nights and weekends become extensions of your workday. You revisit work that was already “good enough,” not because it needs more attention, but because your anxiety won’t let you trust that it’s truly done. Delegating becomes impossible—you fear that someone else’s mistake will reflect poorly on you.

Over time, this loop affects more than just your productivity. It impacts your relationships, your ability to enjoy downtime, and your physical health. Chronic stress leads to burnout, and the body can only sustain this pattern for so long.

EMDR therapy helps break this loop by addressing the emotional drivers that keep it going. Whether it’s a past experience of being criticized, an early belief that you must earn love through achievement, or an old fear of being seen as inadequate, EMDR helps reprocess those memories and shift how they affect your present.

Ready to step out of the cycle? Learn more at https://annemoigistherapy.com/.