High-Functioning Anxiety: The Signs You Should Know
“Anxiety isn’t you. It’s something moving through you. It can leave out of the same door it came in.” – James Clear
Anxiety plagues many Floridians each year. In 2021, over 40% of Florida residents reported experiencing anxiety or depression. But many more may be experiencing high-functioning anxiety, thinking they do not have enough symptoms to qualify for an anxiety diagnosis.
At Clean Recovery Centers, we know all forms of anxiety matter, and even if you have some functioning ability, anxiety can still be detrimental to your mental health. Let’s talk about high-functioning anxiety and how it affects your physical and mental health.
Defining High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety describes someone who exhibits anxiety symptoms but is able to either face their fears or mask them to the point others do not notice. It is not an official medical diagnosis, and many who have high-functioning anxiety will receive an official diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), phobias, or other forms of anxiety disorders.
High-functioning anxiety can make it difficult to diagnose and treat the underlying anxiety, as the person is good at hiding their symptoms. They may also feel like they are not “bad enough” to need treatment and continue trying to live with their anxiety.
High-Functioning Anxiety: Signs and Symptoms to Watch For
It can be hard to spot signs of high-functioning anxiety as the person will do everything they can to seem “normal” in the moment. Some signs to watch for include body language. If you see the person fidgeting with their hands or using their hands to talk, it can be a sign of discomfort and feeling anxious. They may shift their weight while standing and change the position of their arms. If they are sitting, tapping their leg or shaking their foot can also be signs of anxiety.
Other signs of high-functioning anxiety include being very detail-oriented. They keep their workspace a certain way and do not like others in their area for fear they will change something. They focus on the tasks at hand and keep pushing to get through them quickly. Co-workers may see this as being an overachiever, but in actuality, the person is trying to manage anxiety.
Behind the scenes, the person may be experiencing full-blown symptoms of anxiety, including:
- Being unable to relax
- Having a fear of failure or judgment
- Overthinking and overanalyzing situations
- Experiencing an increased heart rate or heavy breathing
- Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
- Having digestive problems and changes in eating habits
Risk Factors for Developing High-Functioning Anxiety
Mental health conditions like anxiety do not have a singular gene or event responsible for their development. However, there are factors that can play into high-functioning anxiety entering your life. These include:
- Having family members with a mental health condition and/or anxiety
- Having a negative response to stress
- Experiencing a traumatic event
- Taking substances to handle stress
- Having a physical condition such as thyroid disease
Having one or more of these factors does increase the risk of developing high-functioning anxiety. However, it does not guarantee it is a fact.
How High-Functioning Anxiety Shapes Daily Life
Not every person will have the same experiences with high-functioning anxiety. Mental health varies day-to-day, with some days being better than others. Someone with high-functioning anxiety will find themselves putting an increased effort into every daily task. They may take longer to get ready in the morning, making sure their outfit is exact, their hair is done in a specific way, and that everything matches to a T.
At work, they will continue to keep everything in its place and seem focused on their tasks. This may come off as a “good worker” persona, but in reality, they feel like they can’t control anything – so they hyperfocus on the things they can.
Unexpected situations and stresses can increase anxiety and in turn, increasing the stress behind it. This driving force is uncomfortable and even painful, causing chest pain and tense muscles. Despite these feelings, their work performance will typically stay consistent, but eventually, a mental breakdown can occur if anxiety is not addressed.
Even with feeling on edge and having a tense strain on their body, the person will have difficulties with sleep. Anxiety causes the mind to race, replaying the day’s events and thinking about what is going on the next day. Feeling physically exhausted is not enough to quiet the mind of someone with high-functioning anxiety.
Tips for Managing High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety can interfere with your everyday life, causing strain in relationships, careers, and mental health. Some tips we have for managing anxiety include:
- Practicing breathing techniques: Deep breathing can help reduce anxiety in the moment. Some of these are the 4-7-8, lion’s breath, and teddy bear breathing. All of these techniques can help calm your heart rate and soothe anxiety feelings.
- To do the 4-7-8, breathe in gently through the nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds, then breathe out forcefully for 8 seconds.
- For lion’s breath, inhale through the nose and exhale forcefully through the mouth again and again. Facial tension should be released from this technique.
- Teddy bear breathing starts with placing one hand on your chest and a stuffed animal toy on your stomach. Breathe in through your nose and feel the stuffed animal rise. Purse your lips and exhale, feeling your chest and stomach deflate.
- Limit caffeine consumption: Caffeine can exacerbate anxiety symptoms. Limiting the amount of coffee, soda, and energy drinks you consume in a day can help keep anxiety symptoms in check.
- Have an outlet: The racing thoughts that come with anxiety can leave you with pent-up feelings and increase anxious energy. Having a healthy outlet to channel those feelings into can help with calming. Exercise, painting, yoga, and even dancing through the house to loud music can release tension and help you relax your mind and body.
- Learn your disorder: Anxiety is a complex disorder that affects everyone differently. Learning about the condition as a whole is a good start in understanding what is going on within yourself. Another way to understand your anxiety on a personal level is to keep a notebook or journal of your symptoms. Writing about your day can not only relax you from the stresses that went on but also help you recognize where situations and triggers were at a high. By learning these, you can better understand what makes your anxiety worse and take steps to handle them.
Treatment for High-Functioning Anxiety in Hillsborough County, FL
You do not have to keep living in silence, trying to hide your high-functioning anxiety from those around you even though you are screaming inside. The stress of each day weighing on your shoulders can be debilitating, but there is hope and healing available. Treatment for anxiety will give you the tools needed to not only understand your anxiety but also manage the symptoms as they come. Therapies, coping strategies, and possibly medications will be an integral part of your treatment process. You don’t have to keep carrying the weight of the world – take back your mental health today.
Trying to manage high-functioning anxiety on your own may work for a while, but it doesn’t have to be that way forever. Clean Recovery Centers offers anxiety treatment on the beautiful Suncoast. Our program features a unique, three-phase approach that includes trauma therapy, coping skill development, and wellness components for healthier habits. Our team can diagnose and treat anxiety on its own or as a co-occurring disorder with substance use. Call us today at (888) 330-2532 to learn more about our program offerings.
Get clean. Live clean. Stay clean.
