What comes to your mind when you think of anxiety? Maybe an image of visible distress, a person holding their head in their hands? Visuals of panic attacks, hyperventilation, avoidance and fear-based behaviors? Well, anxiety doesn’t look the same on everyone. In fact, some people with anxiety can even mask it, their anxiety manifesting in the form of unyielding perfectionism, achievement and control – people with high functioning anxiety.
What is High-Functioning Anxiety?
High-functioning anxiety is not a formal diagnosis but is diagnosed under Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In the US, GAD affects 6.8 million adults, which is 3.1% of the population. Globally, anxiety disorders impact 301 million people.
People with high-functioning anxiety often struggle with perfectionism, overthinking and a constant state of worry and a lot of self-doubt that may be very normalized. It can appear as driven, organized and competent behavior but there is internal struggle with restlessness and overthinking.
There is a fear of not being good enough that leads to being proactive in achieving tasks and perfectionism.
Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety symptoms can be harder to catch as often this anxiety is masked with layers, and often thought of as being driven or disciplined. So then, how to recognize high-functioning anxiety?
Look for the following signs and symptoms of high-functioning anxiety:
- Overthinking every small or big decision
- Persistent worry, overanalyzing situations
- Difficulty in relaxing or enjoying downtime
- Perfectionism
- Fear of failure
- Constantly needing to stay busy or productive
- Constant self-doubt, self-criticism
- People pleasing or struggle with saying no
- Feeling on the edge or on the verge of losing control
- Constantly seeking approval from others
- Procrastination or overplanning
- Headaches, muscle tension and fatigue
- Irritability
- Trouble sleeping
How High-Functioning Anxiety Affects Daily Life
Often, in high-functioning anxiety, the fear of failure drives you to work ten times as hard and pushes you to be the best, a strive for perfectionism that makes you want to hide your anxiety from others, sometimes so well, that you may not even recognize it yourself. It can feel like you’re always living on the edge or on high alert. There is a constant pressure to perform or control every outcome. You may drown yourself in work. It can be hard to take criticism or even constructive feedback, which may lead to an emotional reaction or outburst.
Moreover, high-functioning individuals often overachieve, but also face burnout from their hyper-productivity. Often, high-functioning individuals don’t seek professional help because their struggles are hidden behind productivity, and success.
What People with High-Functioning Anxiety Want You to Know
Living with high-functioning anxiety is not easy to recognize, and the internal struggle, distress caused by it can leave a lasting impact. People with high-functioning mental health disorders often face a lot more stigma, as they seem to be productive and perform well but they are still struggling. Here’s what people with high-functioning anxiety want you to know:
- They might appear to be okay, perform well but that doesn’t mean they’re not struggling internally
- It is exhausting to deal with anxiety while functioning at a high level
- Downplaying their experience can be hurtful and invalidating
- A safe space and non-judgmental support go a long way
Mental Health and High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety can impact mental and physical health, relationships adversely and often lead to burnout, emotional exhaustion and nervous breakdowns. Less than half of individuals with high-functioning anxiety actually seek and get professional psychological help. If untreated or not addressed, high-functioning anxiety can progress to other severe disorders. It can lead to a cognitive strain of overthinking, difficulty in concentration, on a more sever level it can impair memory and other cognitive functions as well. A risky way of coping with high-functioning anxiety is substance abuse, which can cause severe problems.
High-functioning anxiety disorder is not a formal clinical diagnosis but is diagnosed as a part of GAD, and can be resolved with using coping techniques, therapeutic interventions and medications in severe cases.
Coping Strategies for High-Functioning Anxiety
- Mindfulness-based activities such as meditation, relaxation techniques, breathing exercises can be helpful in grounding.
- Learning and exercising boundary setting.
- Learning to accept criticism.
- Therapeutic interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy can be helpful, find a psychologist near me, cognitive behavioral therapist near me to receive appropriate support in dealing with anxious and negative thoughts.
- Self-care routines that promote positive thinking and adequate exercise, rest, sleep and nutrition.
- Medication if needed as prescribed by a psychiatrist near me.
High-functioning anxiety is a valid condition that profoundly affects daily life and mental health, which is treatable. Remember to check in with your friends, loved ones, especially the ones who seem to be doing fine. And if you see yourself in this description, know that you are not alone and support is available, reach out and search for a psychologist near me and gradually you will learn to develop coping mechanism that will help you in managing anxiety and lead a more fulfilling life.
At NABHS, we offer you the correct resources to deal with daily anxiety and support those around you.
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