Dealing With High Functioning Anxiety

High-functioning anxiety isn't a medical term, and it's not mentioned in mental health diagnostic guides alongside anxiety disorders like agoraphobia or generalised anxiety disorder. It is, however, how many of us have come to describe a mental health condition characterised by anxious symptoms combined with the potential to function at a high level.


To put it in simple words, someone may go about their daily routine – both at home and at work — achieving all that needs to be done but secretly suffering from great stress, feelings of inadequacy, and anxiety. In fact, people with high-functioning anxiety frequently go above and beyond the call of duty, often exceeding expectations, and don't always express their genuine sentiments or disclose their anxiety symptoms.


Here are 3 ways to deal with high functioning anxiety:

Recognize the symptoms

Are you aware of the signs and symptoms of high-functioning anxiety? If you don't, get to know them. If you do, be aware of how they affect you. Anxiety causes our minds to overanalyze everything. "Why, why, why am I feeling this way?" Sometimes the answer is straightforward: "Because we have anxiety." Overthinking a simple choice, overpreparing for a meeting, or worrying over a discussion are all signs that your anxiety is out of control.


Because mental diseases are partly biological, I try to conceive of my anxiety like any other medical illness. This allows me to stop worrying about how I'm feeling at the moment. "I have anxiety, and that's fine," I tell myself. I can accept that today will be a little more difficult and instead concentrate my energies on how I can help myself.

Fear is your Friend

Fear is your friend if you suffer from anxiety. Even if you don't like it, it's a part of your life. And it inspires a lot of what you do. Have you considered the source of your fear? Have you linked it to previous events that may have led you to believe you aren't intelligent or successful enough? Why are you so concerned about other people's approval?


Anxiety, in my experience, cannot be ignored or pushed away. With the support of a therapist, I was able to face my fear. Rather than adding to the worry, I tried to figure out what was causing it.


For example, I can see that my concern is more about my need to be liked and accepted than it is about giving a great presentation. This understanding has reduced the power it has over me.


My fear became considerably less frightening once I realised what was causing it, and I was able to establish crucial connections between the source of my fear and how I was acting at work.

Reconnect with your body

Anxiety is a physical as well as a mental condition. People who suffer from high-functioning anxiety tend to live in their imaginations and struggle to break the loop of fearful thinking and feelings. Every day, I used to work for 10 to 12 hours and never exercised. Both physically and mentally, I felt stuck. Reconnecting with my body is an important part of how I deal with my problems now.


Every day, I practise deep breathing. I can take calm, deep breaths to circulate more oxygen, relax my muscles, and drop my blood pressure whether I'm in a meeting, at my computer, or stuck in traffic on my way home. At my desk, I stretch. During my lunch break, I go for walks outside. I work out. I practise yoga.


And when I'm overworked or overwhelmed... In any case, I do these things. Because I require them, even if just for a few minutes. I get out of my brain and channel my anxious energy in a more positive direction when I have a good relationship with my body.