Success-Syndrome: The Ambition-Depression Connection

When she was just 13 years old, Jenn Cohen fell in love with the circus and was determined to make a career out of it, which was highly unusual at the time.She explained in an inspiring TEDx talk that she worked incredibly hard to get to a point in her career where she “arrived,” performing in Europe, garnering accolades and attention — the place where she always aspired to be. And yet she felt empty. “I was under the illusion that once I was able to prove myself, that those feelings of self-doubt and low self-worth would disappear,” she said. She did feel confident for a moment … but then crashed into a depression. The passion that had sustained her up to that point, that had helped her push through her childhood and dark areas in her life, was no longer enough to keep her going. I was very moved by her account of that moment when she realized her life force was going to have to come from something other than being the best, or from achieving a certain milestone in her career. She explained: Once that moment [of confidence] passed, I realized it was at that moment that I had succeeded, and yet I still felt that I wasn’t good enough. I thought, when I’m at the top of my career, I will feel loved. I will be in front of audiences and that will fill me. I will feel good enough, I can take it in. I can receive. Once I am successful, I can feel good about myself. That didn’t happen. And in fact, that is a lesson that, even though I learned it very acute...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Depression Industrial and Workplace Mental Health and Wellness Self-Esteem Success & Achievement Ambition Bipolar disorder and acceptance Depressive Episode Mood Disorder Source Type: blogs