“Hard Work, Attention to Detail,” and Paralyzing Fear: the Ups + ...

For Maisel, one of the fundamental reasons people in creative roles are more likely to be affected by anxiety is because they’re constantly being forced to make choices. “Choosing provokes anxiety,” he says. “Most professions don’t demand that you have to make one choice after another, which provokes anxiety. Going into the unknown—even if we’re ad... See more

This inclination towards external stimulus, even if harmful, highlights the reluctance many people have towards quiet introspection. I could only speculate that some of my workaholic acquaintances fall into the same category as those who would prefer self-inflicted discomfort over stillness. They continue to shoulder an increasing workload, even wh... See more

Founders are striving to do something more innovative, uncertain, and psychologically demanding than most of us ever try to do—many with potentially large impacts on the world—and yet their distinct psychological needs have gone largely unstudied and unaddressed. And despite the many headlines signaling a “mental health crisis in startups,” with se... See more

Ballard says that having prominent, successful creative people with mental health issues that manifest in ways that are clearly unpleasant—and a society that allows them to be so—is a crucial yet diminishing thing for other people who are suffering. The problem with that, I offer, is that we end up romanticizing the idea of the “tortured genius” in... See more

So much productivity is fueled by negative emotions. You're afraid of getting a bad grade as a teen, so you study for tomorrow's big test late into the night, mostly out of fear and with the knowledge that you'll be exhausted tomorrow. There's no joy in it, just a fear of not being good enough, of disappointing someone, of ruining your future.

As an... See more