Recent studies have shown us some alarming insights. One that is particularly worrying is that ambition, more often than not, is linked to depression.

One moment, you’re on top of the world, planning your strategy to get to where you want to be. The next, you’re crashing down, and battling demons you can’t avoid.

A number of us are ambitious, and that’s a great thing. But more and more people are finding it empty and unfulfilling at the top. It’s ironic that, once we’ve attained goals we worked for, for months or years, we feel disappointed.

Why does this happen? Let’s take a look.

The Success Syndrome

That ambition is linked to depression is not exactly hot news. This link has been around long enough for psychiatrists to dub it the ‘success syndrome.’

Even as their bank accounts get fuller and fuller, a number of ambitious people feel a crushing dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Why? Some experts cite constant comparison as a cause. Healthy competition is good, but always pitting yourself against people around you can push you right into depression.

Another reason why successful people experience dark depression: an unreasonably large fear of failure. When the ambitious person attempts a particular goal, they tend to go all in. A healthy fear of failure keeps your feet planted on the ground, but too much can make you lose your footing.

Sacrificing Your Social Life

When you’re ambitious, you’ve likely given it all you’ve got to reach the top. You’d think that people who’ve “made it” would be satisfied, but successful celebrities like Deepika Padukone have ‘come out’ about being depressed, even at the heights of their careers.

Often, we sacrifice close friendships and even love lives to achieve large goals. We often end up with a lot of money to spend, and no one to spend it with. With nobody to talk to—and the social stigma surrounding depression—feelings of social isolation are hard to avoid.

The Problem With Depression

When you’re successful in the eyes of people around you, they are (sadly) less likely to acknowledge that you have problems. In their eyes, you are often seen as the person who’s “got it all.” Another thing people fail to understand: depression doesn’t just disappear when you want it to.

Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI with Elon Musk, gets it right. He says that existential angst is a part of life, and is particularly prevalent at major milestones. Apparently, it tends to affect smart, ambitious people.

Working Through Depression

Here’s a bit of comfort, though: Altman goes on to say that you’re not alone in this. There’s nothing “wrong with you” if you feel this way even when you’re conventionally successful.

The key to getting through the “success syndrome” is in realizing that this isn’t something you can skip around, but something that you need to push through. A lot of us tend to sweep such feelings under the carpet, insisting “everything’s fine”. Instead, the key is to concede that there is a problem.

Seek help from people around you, or from a mental health professional. The demons you struggled to battle alone can be easier to face when someone can help you take them on. Yes, there will be days when you have episodes of “is that all there is?” Know that there is more, though. Your accomplishments don’t have to feel as hollow as they do.

Never forget: talk to people. Nothing helps like addressing your depression head on, even if it’s with only a single trusted confidant.

References:

https://thehealthorange.com/stay-happy/mind/ambition-breeds-depression/

http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/therese-borchard-sanity-break/when-ambition-breeds-depression/