What Is High-Functioning Anxiety?
When the word anxiety comes to mind what do you think of?
Do you think of heart palpitations, sweaty hands, fast breathing, and panic attacks?
Do you think of restless nights tossing and turning, overthinking every worst-case scenario.
Chances are, your mind probably doesn’t go to people-pleasing, being exceptionally organized, always showing up early, or being identified as an ‘over-achiever’.
Anxiety, similar to most conditions, can manifest itself in many different ways.
One way anxiety can present itself is through high-functioning anxiety.
So, how do you know if you suffer from high-functioning anxiety?
Signs Of High-Functioning Anxiety
When it comes to high-functioning anxiety, there is no concrete medical diagnosis, but rather it serves as an umbrella term for those suffering from anxiety who are still performing everyday tasks and activities (more often because they have to, not because they want to).
Like most ‘high-functioning’ mental illnesses, it can be difficult to spot the signs.
Some symptoms of high-functioning anxiety are even seen as a good thing and often are just attributed to someone’s personality.
While there are both positive and negative symptoms, many people with high-functioning anxiety take these traits to the extreme, beyond the threshold of neurotypicals.
Positive Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety
Always on-time or early
Overly outgoing
Consistently thinking ahead when planning for activities
Always making lists or calendars
Exceptionally organized
Always aiming to do the very best
Detail-oriented
Passionate about things that are loved
Incredibly loyal
Negative Signs Of High-Functioning Anxiety
People-pleasing
Incredibly afraid of driving people away, or people leaving you
Inner fear of letting others down
Anxious habits: nail-biting or leg shaking
Overthinking and overanalyzing every scenario
Arriving too early for events
Eye contact feels uncomfortable
Need for reassurance of plans many times
Insomnia
Inability to say “no”
Overstepping of self boundaries for others
Inability to relax
Difficulty enjoying the moment
Mental and physical fatigue from taking on too much
What Can Cause High-Functioning Anxiety?
While the root cause of high-functioning anxiety is still under speculation, psychology researchers have concluded it is most likely due to a combination of environment and genetics.
More often than not, a person struggling with high-functioning anxiety is not responding to external situations, but rather an internal fear within themselves of failure.
A few circumstances that can lead to high-functioning anxiety in adults are:
Growing up with highly critical or demanding parents
A family history of anxiety disorders
Exposure, whether recent or in the past, to high stress or negative life events
Drug or alcohol use
Traits of shyness in childhood
Childhood abuse (emotionally, mental, physical, or sexual)
Long-term financial troubles
Long-term legal troubles
In addition, people that have experienced great success in a short period of time are extremely susceptible to high-functioning anxiety.
The stress of taking on too much too quickly can escalate into anxiety that persists day in and day out.
For example, a newly graduated law student who lands a high-stakes job at a prestigious law firm straight out of school may experience high-functioning anxiety driven by a fear of failure.
How Can I Manage Life With High-Functioning Anxiety?
While high-functioning anxiety can take over your life with great force, there are treatments and support out there to help.
As with other anxiety disorders, high-functioning anxiety can be treated through therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.
Therapy for high-functioning Anxiety
Therapy for high-functioning anxiety revolves around the concept of psychotherapy, which simply means, treatment by use of psychological techniques. By working through high-functioning anxiety with psychotherapy, the end goal is to reduce symptoms, enhance healthy behaviors, and increase overall happiness.
Talk Therapy: Being able to talk freely in a safe and secure environment is especially relieving for clients with high-functioning anxiety. It helps release pent-up emotions and can provide a way for the therapist to understand their thought processes. By talking through high-strung thinking patterns, a therapist can offer advice and guidance on how to view a situation more logically.
Coping Skills: Therapy is a great way to learn healthy coping skills for those struggling with high functioning anxiety. It is often seen with drug or alcohol dependence as a way to relieve symptoms, so by learning healthier coping mechanisms it can reduce the odds of addiction. Breathing techniques, mindfulness practices such as yoga or meditation, and redirection of thoughts are all a few coping skills learned in therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT, is a psychotherapy practice used for many different disorders. CBT uses the recognition of negative thinking patterns as a way to redirect and stop harmful thoughts in their tracks.
By allowing a client to see for themselves how their train of thoughts come about, they can separate themselves from the anxious thought and view it in a more realistic way.
Through CBT, a client is empowered to learn the skills needed in order to redirect their thoughts into more helpful and logical ways.
High-Functioning Anxiety Can feel Lonely
But, you’re not alone.
As our society becomes more transparent in concepts of mental health, the stigma is slowly disappearing.
Therapy is an excellent resource for anyone struggling with high-functioning anxiety. It can be difficult to stop racing thoughts for even one second, so by utilizing professional help, you’re allowing the therapist to guide you in calming your mind so you can think clearly.
Don’t let high-functioning anxiety run your life anymore.
If you feel as though these characteristics sound like you, remember - it may not simply just “be who you are”.
There is help out there waiting for you.