Excessive rumination, panic attacks, and mood swings are the most common symptoms of anxiety. More often than not, you no longer get the ability to function well, and you cannot seem to find a way of dealing.
But that’s another form of anxiety that often we don’t notice: the high-functioning anxiety. It’s not a clinical term, but rather an expression to depict one’s experience living with a considerable amount of stress, without the “functioning” limitations that anxiety disorder presents.
Should be concern about whether you’re going through high-functioning anxiety or not, here are the most common symptoms that send you an alarm:
1. Sadly, it’s your anxiety pushing you and not your ambition
Working long hours and being dedicated to working can come off as ambition. But it’s not the case for the high-functioning anxiety, where it’s the anxiety the powerful engine behind your efforts.
For people with high-functioning anxiety, it’s not the fantastic desire to succeed that powers them up, but rather the fear of not succeeding. When you’re scared of the unwanted results, such as damaging your reputation or losing your footing, or merely failing at your job, your anxiety helps you get that raise and not your ambition.
2. You’re great at your job, but don’t manage your personal life
Personal lives are typically more challenging to measure, as opposed to careers where it’s rather easy to know how you’re doing. What does success mean in terms of personal life?
Being married and having kids? Not being married, but relaxed with your open relationship with the partner?
A common issue for people with high-functioning anxiety is the temptation to use the same models of behavior that gives them success at work in your personal life as well. Keep in mind that people in your own life aren’t your colleagues, and things seldom happen the same as they occur at work.
3. You do look like you have it all together…but is that really true?
You seem perfectly fine when answering the emails in the middle of the night or working long hours. More often than not, people with high-functioning anxiety are great at making lists and planning things. As they’re determined to stay on top of everything, they’re maintaining the stress in motion, which gives them peace of mind to some extent.
However, many people with high-functioning anxiety end up handling job burnout, according to sites like these. They no longer feel any emotions for reaching their goals and feel the need for a fresh start. Job burnout doesn’t go on its own, and people need to acknowledge it. Whether they go on a meaningful vacation or quit their job, they must take the necessary steps for healing.
Tim, who works in a luxurious healing center, notes that “many people reaching for help as they deal with job burnout started as people with high-functioning anxiety. The methods we provide don’t just help them deal and solve their anxiety, but also gives them the chance of starting their life fresh and new.” People need to find their passion once again, and for some a time out from everything is the best solution.
4. Your mind doesn’t stop. Never
As the anxiety is building up and you feel exhaustion crawling in, you may comprehend the importance of valuing your time and life even more. On the side note, exhaustion is a sign of job burnout.
People with high-functioning anxiety may accept the need for balance in their life, but relaxing doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye. Anyone coming home is going to find out that there are more chores at home too. Not handling the tasks is going to increase the sense of guilt for the high-functioning anxiety patient who has to control everything. So relaxing may never happen.
It’s one of the right reasons for which one should consider an alternative healing program, which offers numerous methods for the patients. Yoga, meditation, or HBOT are only some of the alternative ways that one can benefit from handling anxiety and stress. Read more about yoga benefits in this article.
Body and mind therapies are fantastic, and patients learn ways to calm down their thoughts, turning down the anxiety “button” in their mind.
5. You’re overthinking everything
Anyone struggling with high-functioning anxiety will find the tiniest detail in life disturbing and unpleasant. It’s common for people with high-functioning anxiety to be very sensitive to the environment.
Uncomfortable clothing, bright lights, loud noises, and everything surrounded you can trigger your anxiety. The more you need for various aspects of being a specific way of controlling your stress, the more irritated you will be when things don’t go your way.
Therefore, a healing center that provides the most incredible comfort is one that has a better shot of healing your high-functioning anxiety.
6. Being with other people doesn’t do anything for you
When your primary mental job is to worry, you will most likely obsess about everything, even when you’re supposed to have a pleasant time with your friends.
One good thing for people with high-functioning anxiety, if there would be to find one, is that they learn how to process items fast. They make fast decisions in their mind, so they don’t need to be around other people. People with high-functioning anxiety are almost always “on” so they can no longer connect with other people, as they’re already thinking of something else in their life.
It’s also one of the reasons for which people with high-functioning anxiety will also cancel plans with friends. Meeting friends is only more consuming, and brings little to no benefits for people with high-functioning anxiety.
7. Taking the day off seems impossible
A day off for one with high-functioning anxiety is just another opportunity to complete everything from their never-ending to do list. It’s rarely a day for recharging batteries. On top of everything else, people will focus on the things they haven’t managed to accomplish, and not the things they’ve done.
People with high-functioning anxiety feel also invalidated by others, which tend to admire their job and energy. Should they admit, they’re vulnerable, after all, some may not validate their feelings. Needless to say, people will only see it as a failure, coming back to square one: ruminating for not doing enough.
