Do You Have High Functioning Anxiety?

‘’Never trust your fears, they don’t know your strengths”

 

Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder among Americans, falling on a broad spectrum of severity. Often, the fear and worry from anxiety can cause individuals of all ages to feel as if they are unable to complete the routine tasks of daily life. 

Depending on the severity, for these individuals, treatment may be the best option.

Sometimes, anxiety causes people to overthink, overanalyze or even over-perform, this usually leaves them in a constant state of duress. These same individuals appear to function normally and seem fine outside, although they often struggle internally with chronic anxiety symptoms

If this describes you, you may have High-Functioning anxiety. Continue reading and we’ll break down all the signs and symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety down below

 

What are the Signs and Symptoms?

Recognizing the signs and symptoms is difficult, mainly because those who have High-Functioning anxiety often hide their symptoms and appear to the outside world to deal with life’s ups and downs and manage it quite well.

Many characteristics of high-functioning anxiety are thought of positively, such as being organized, punctual, helpful, outgoing, high-achieving and proactive, Others often view these characteristics as part of a person’s personality rather than having anxiety, yet experience worry, stress or have obsessive thoughts on the inside

Some common symptoms of High-Functioning anxiety may include some of the following:

• High-achieving… yet still having that fear of failure
• Proactive, but doubts their abilities 
• A perfectionist… yet is fearful of criticism with even the slightest mistake
• Excessive worry and difficulty expressing emotions
• Procrastination followed by intense periods of crunch-time work
• Inability to relax and enjoy the moment, or always expecting the worst to happen

 

Can it be a Good Thing?

Some people with High-Functioning Anxiety may see their symptoms as a gift that pushes them to be motivated and driven to perform on higher levels than without anxiety. It could be more difficult to accomplish their goals without it. 

Although High-Functioning Anxiety is not a formal mental health diagnosis, it will share some qualities with other anxiety disorders. 

For example, someone with a severe version of social anxiety will find it very difficult to interact with people in a social setting, however, a person with high functioning social anxiety might be able to attend the party and mingle with other guests with no issues

They could even make a great impression on others as their symptoms create no visible signs of distress

All the while, their anxious symptoms will be play out differently throughout different types of life events, often outsiders cannot see the physical emotional symptoms of high functioning anxiety when they are present

 

Triggers

Causes and triggers will vary due to a numerous amount of biological and environmental elements, from family genetics to traumatic events. Some people will have a stronger biological predisposition to high functioning anxiety from birth than others

Others will significantly be influenced by the characteristics of their life experiences

Some of the most common causes and triggers of high-functioning anxiety include:

• Personality Traits – These can include being shy and quiet

• Substance Abuse – Substances like cocaine, caffeine or medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as these can create higher levels of anxiety

• Relatives – Family members who have anxiety disorders or other mental health conditions 

• Trauma – Being exposed to traumatic events during childhood like abuse, trauma, living in dangerous areas or family chaos 

• Thyroid & Heart issues – These conditions may create or worsen symptoms of anxiety

In some situations, a person could have just one of the causes listed above of high-functioning anxiety and that would be enough to produce enough symptoms. Other situations, the individual could have multiple causes without fully experiencing the effects of high-functioning anxiety

 

How to Cope

Good news! By making changes in the way you think and behave, you can soon bridge the gap that separates you from a healthy and satisfying lifestyle

To help control your anxiety, restore your freedom and peace of mind, here are a few strategies to help you cope with High-Functioning anxiety:

Seek to understand your symptoms – Anxiety loses some of its hold when sufferers put it in the proper perspective. Recognizing anxious reactions as illogical and unreasonable is the first step in overcoming them

Refuse to engage in anxious thoughts – Anxiety tends to get worse when it’s resisted or denied. Acknowledging it is not the same as giving into it, and anxiety sufferers who can perceive their anxious responses as optional will begin to assert control over their actions and reactions

Act (before) Overthinking – Very often, anxiety sufferers talk themselves out of going with their first instinct. No one should be thoughtlessly impulsive, but when something feels right, anxiety sufferers should try doing it or saying it without excessive reflection, and overtime this will become the new normal!

Embrace a healthier lifestyle – A great diet, regular exercise, and along with many other healthy practices like meditation or yoga, can help anxiety sufferers find a calmer state of mind and overtime improve their self-esteem

Confide in trustworthy loved ones – Finding others that you can share your thoughts and feelings with, openly and without restriction, can help lift that burden off your shoulders while proving that others will accept you despite your flaws. Having even ONE person to confide in will help tremendously and loved ones are usually more than happy to fill that role!

Celebrate your wins! (big or small) – You’re already participating in a world that gives you endless opportunities to score small victories in your fight to overcome anxiety. Anytime anxiety is overcome it will be helpful– overtime those small triumphs will lead to real, sustainable growth! Celebrate it! 

Ask for help! – Mental health professionals can help you with High-Functioning Anxiety, some of them have been (or still are) sufferers themselves and have learned how to change and cope with their relationship with anxiety. People who suffer from it can enjoy significant improvement of their symptoms if they put a real effort into their road to recovery!

 

Possible Burnout!

Burnout is a significant issue as we all feel the social, economic pressure that eventually causes us to feel overworked and exhausted, sometimes individual psychological patterns play a role as well

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. This happens when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained and unable to meet the demands of your personal or professional life

Here are some examples of burnout caused by High-functioning anxiety:

• • People pleasing – This is very common! The inability to say “No” can lead to an overwhelming workload and a lack of control over your personal schedule

• Constant need for reassurance – Doubting your abilities can make it difficult to think and feel positive, motivated or even satisfied with life

• Excessive worrying – The constant thoughts of “What if” can ruin your attempts to relax and prevent a separation between your work and home life

• Perfectionism – Constantly needing to prove yourself can lead you to do more than is necessary – or healthy

Are you headed towards burnout? 

 

Getting Treatment

Like other anxiety-related conditions, high-functioning anxiety responds very well to targeted therapy  and other appropriate interventions. 

At Golden West Counseling, we offer treatment for High-Functioning anxiety in a peaceful, safe environment to help you learn coping skills to prevent your existing anxiety from taking control of your life. Attending your therapy sessions as recommended, your anxiety symptoms should decrease in frequency and intensity, opening new opportunities for personal growth and improvement

With a continuing commitment to your mental health, High-functioning anxiety sufferers can learn to function more successfully than ever before. Treatment along with effective self-help strategies make this kind of victory possible, as many of our clients who suffer with high-functioning anxiety have already discovered!