Here is my standard response...Hope I'm not being to much of a jerk...
WTF is ‘striving too much’ ? Do you strive to little too? Explain
What is "Liberation" to you in plain words?
Great to know patterns...oh wait you didn't say you know whatever 'patterns' are, please explain.
Couple of years? Then how long? Perhaps less than a Couple of whatevers? 
What is TOO focused?
Doing? vs not doing? explain what doing is.
The practices? Vague, unless it's known to the teacher.
Oh, good to cross that off the list. Soooo, where is the issue happening?
AH, tension, in your mind, what is that like? How long? Doing what? Where exactly? What other qualities?
I'm not gonna even ask about tension in your spirit of being.
Ideas - Stop being vague - explain what the heck you are trying to say. With clarification comes clarity.
Reflection? I would recommend you start with 'flection' then RE it next.
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Sarcasm is intended but with humor
I appreciate the response portion by Titmuss but really, there is little to respond to specifically.
 Just my opinion,
~D

 Hmm, what does it mean if I find myself leaning more towards DreamWalker than Titmuss? 

My answer would be to get very VERY interested in the experience of striving itself. Liberation is found in a very direct experience of the raw energy of striving itself, right at the spot where it arises.

Look at it very closely and take your time...How do you know it's there? How can you tell? Is it always there? Where does it come from? Where does it go? What does it feel like? Does it stay the same, does it change? Is it a problem? How do you know it is a problem? Is it always a problem? What happens when it isn't a problem? Would other people think it's a problem? What other experiences does it remind you of? What does those associations mean? How do you know that's what it means? What if it never went away, what would that mean? What if it went away forever, what would that mean? Who would you be without the experience of striving? How do you know that? What would you be doing now if you were liberated? Why can't you do that now? Why do you want to do that? What if you were never liberated, how would that impact your life? Are you sure? Now go back and really look at what's there. Are all these meanings and problems in the actual sensations that make up the experience of striving? How do problems exist within a sensation? How do sensations get combined into a problem? What is it that knows? What is a problem? What is your mind? Take your time... look very closely right at the point of the arising of striving.


But that said, I really doubt this person is practicing well. This question feels like the kind of philosophical question a student asks a teacher to attempt to distract them from the more direct questions: how are you actually practicing, what are you actually doing, what is actually happening, because I'm pretty sure you bullshitting me about the frequency and quality of practice.   It's sort of like showing up at your piano teacher's house for your lesson and asking questions about composers to delay the point in time where you have to play the piece you were supposed to have been practicing all week.

 

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Aww your words indeed are poetry to my ears filled with earwax! Im deaf but I can hear!