Throughout the day, it’s normal to experience a variety of emotions. Feelings come and go depending on the day and events that come your way. Anxiety is a common feeling that everyone experiences at one time or another, but what happens when anxiety takes the steering wheel? Even though anxiety is common, excessive anxiety can start to impact someone’s daily life and routine. This is the sign of an anxiety disorder.
High-functioning anxiety is one of the many different forms of anxiety. This type of anxiety disorder tends to go unnoticed for the most part because a person will work hard to hide or dismiss their true emotions by directing their attention towards things like work or personal projects.
Even though a person with high-functioning anxiety may appear fine, it is still an anxiety disorder that should be addressed and treated. Let’s learn more about high-functioning anxiety, what it is, and how it manifests.
What is High-Functioning Anxiety?
Anxiety can be debilitating. When it comes to high-functioning anxiety, a person will experience all of the normal signs and symptoms of any other anxiety disorder internally, but externally, they will seem like they have it all together. People with high-functioning anxiety tend to be extremely successful or hardworking in their careers, but they may struggle with feelings of doubt, fear, or stress on the inside. High-functioning anxiety is a little harder to diagnose and treat because, to an outside party, a person with high-functioning anxiety may appear like they’re fully in control.
The Signs and Symptoms
High-functioning anxiety shares a lot of the same signs and symptoms as any other anxiety disorder. These are some of the most common emotional and physical signs and symptoms of high-functioning anxiety.
Emotional Symptoms
- Fear of looking dumb
- On edge
- Self-criticism
- Sense of something bad happening
- Stress
Physical Symptoms
- Digestive issues
- Excessive sweating
- Headaches
- Increased heart rate
- Lightheadedness
- Muscle aches and pains
- Sleeping problems
The Cause
Just like other forms of anxiety, high-functioning anxiety can impact people of any gender or age. There isn’t one, specific cause, but there are several risk factors that can contribute to the development of this anxiety. Women are more likely than men to develop this form of anxiety due to gender roles, concerns about their relationships, and the pressures of society. Other risk factors and causes include:
- Abuse
- Bullying or harassment
- Death of a loved one
- Environment
- Financial struggles
- Genetics
- Life stress
- Personality
- Poor mental or physical health
- Relationship problems
How It Manifests
Despite being labeled as high-functioning, a person with this type of anxiety will still show signs and characteristics of struggling with anxiety. These are some of the ways that this form of anxiety can show up during a person’s day:
- Avoiding eye contact
- Fatigue
- Inability to say “no”
- Insomnia
- Lack of work/life balance
- Lost time
- Need for reassurance
- Nervous habits
- Overthinking
- People pleasing
- Playing the comparison game
- Procrastination
- Ruminating
How to Manage High-Functioning Anxiety
No matter what form of anxiety you may be struggling with, help is available to you. If you suspect that you or a loved one are struggling with high-functioning anxiety, it’s extremely important to seek additional support sooner rather the later. The longer the signs and symptoms go untreated, the worse they can become.
There is nothing wrong with having anxiety. It’s a normal, human emotion. Anxiety is what helps propel us to get things done. But your anxiety shouldn’t define you. A therapist can provide a safe and secure space for you to talk about your anxiety struggles so that you can learn to better manage the signs and symptoms you’re dealing with.
Reach out to us today to learn more bout treatment options for high-functioning anxiety.
