Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

Why High-Functioning Anxiety Is Misunderstood

I used to think success was a tradeoff. That if I wanted to “make it”, to be respected, productive, driven, I had to give up things like rest, joy, and ease.

To me, fulfillment looked like a luxury you earn after grinding. Like a prize you unlock once you've checked enough boxes. Until then? Keep your head down and push harder.

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

What If Your Perfectionism Isn’t a Personality Trait But a Survival Strategy?

You know what’s wild? Most of the people who look like they’ve got it together, the high-achievers, the “I’m fine” crowd, the ones who never miss a deadline…..can’t actually rest. I don’t mean they’re bad at time management. I mean rest literally feels uncomfortable. Like the second things slow down, something inside them speeds up.

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

The Hidden Link Between Perfectionism and Childhood Trauma

Let’s just name the thing up front: perfectionism isn’t a personality trait. It’s not about loving clean spreadsheets or color-coded calendars. It’s not about having “high standards.” It’s a survival strategy. And more often than not, it’s rooted in unprocessed childhood trauma.

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

Feeling Insecure Despite Your Success? Here's What's Really Going On

Let’s be honest, feeling insecure when you know you’re qualified is straight-up frustrating. You’ve got the degrees. You’ve done the work. You’re not winging it. And yet, there's this lingering voice in the back of your mind that keeps whispering, “What if I’m not actually good enough?”

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

Why Overachievers Struggle with Rest: Neurological Roots of Constant Doing

You finished the list. Early, even. You’ve handled everything. So why does your brain still act like there’s a fire to put out? That uneasy itch to find one more thing to do - that’s not random. And no, it doesn’t mean you’re wired wrong. It means your brain is doing exactly what it learned to do.

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

How to Tell If Your Anger Is Actually Anxiety (And What to Do About It)

If you’re wondering why you’ve been feeling more irritable, snapping at people for no real reason, or carrying around a sense of constant frustration - you’re not alone. One of the lesser-known ways anxiety can show up is through anger. A lot of people think of anxiety as worry, panic attacks, or feeling frozen, but what they don’t realize is that anger can actually be anxiety wearing a different outfit. As a therapist who specializes in anxiety, perfectionism, and childhood trauma, I see this all the time. People aren’t “angry” by nature. They’re anxious. Their nervous systems are overloaded. And anger, even though it can feel messy, is often just a symptom of that overload. Let’s dig into why anxiety shows up as anger, what’s happening inside your body and brain, and what you can do to start managing it differently.

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

It’s All Your Parents’ Fault….Or Is That the Belief Keeping You Stuck?

Let’s be real: blaming our parents feels obvious. When your adult life is full of anxiety, self-doubt, people-pleasing, or perfectionism, it’s natural to look at who raised you and say, “Yep. That’s where it came from.” And honestly? You’re probably not wrong.

Your parents were your blueprint. They taught you - directly or indirectly - what was safe to feel, how to react to stress, whether you were allowed to take up space. So when your internal world is chaotic now, it makes total sense to trace that chaos back to the source.

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Kristen Jacobsen Kristen Jacobsen

The Hidden Connection Between Burnout and Childhood Trauma

The term burnout gets thrown around a lot. But here’s what most people miss—it’s not just about working too hard or not sleeping enough. For a lot of us, burnout is tangled up with stuff that happened way before the job ever started.

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