Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety And How It Impacts Someone

Anxiety is the most common mental health issue on the planet. Despite this prevalence, there’s so much about it that’s misunderstood. As a result, it often goes unrecognized,

undiagnosed, and untreated. Anxiety disorders come in several different forms (e.g. generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and more) and each person experiences them differently. But did you know some folks with anxiety issues outwardly appear to be calm and successful?

The general term for such a scenario is high-functioning anxiety. The stressful emotions a person feels serve to turn them into ostensible overachievers. In other words, they’d be the last person anyone would expect to be anxious. 

Common Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety

• You’re the friend who is always available to lend a hand. Your motivation may be altruistic but there’s another factor at play. You don’t want to let anyone down and run the risk of being rejected. 
• You need a lot of reassurance.
• On the job, you’re the first one to arrive and the last to leave. 
• You don’t take days off because, again, that can cause people to not like you.
• Your appearance is always meticulous.
• The people in your life view you as reliable, outgoing, helpful, loyal, and organized. 
• You set unrealistically high standards for yourself.
• Worry is a constant presence in your life.
• There are countless variations, of course, but you get the idea. The bottom line is that you work so hard to hide your anxious interior that you slide into the realm of perfectionism. This reality is not without its costs. 

How High-Functioning Anxiety Can Impact You

You Do Not Feel Validated 

You’re struggling, but it’s invisible — sometimes even to yourself. If you see a co-worker or neighbor wearing a bandage, you instantly know they have an injury. However, with high-functioning anxiety, no one checks in with you because you seem to have your act together.

You’re Exhausted 

You take on more work than you want to handle. Everyone comes to you with their problems. Meanwhile, you’re working 24/7 to keep it all together and not show any weakness. You don’t get enough rest, and this inevitably makes you more prone to anxious thoughts.

Comparing Yourself With Others

The need to measure up can be insidious. People with high-functioning anxiety never feel they are doing as well as others. The inner anxiety won’t allow them that peace of mind.

It’s Difficult to Sustain Interpersonal Connections

To the outside world, you look like a workaholic — someone who is too detached to deeply connect with. To your inside world, the more friends or partners you have, the higher the risk of being revealed as an “imposter.” You’re a people-pleaser who tries to get others at arm’s length. 

The Anxiety Disorder Gets Ignored

If you accept that you have a mental health problem, it does not match your self-perception. But the longer you ignore the growing anxiety, the worse it gets. 

What Can You Do?

If you have a diagnosable mental health disorder, you can benefit from consulting a professional. Of course, this doesn’t live up to your expectations of yourself, but it is the ideal setting for someone fearful of being embarrassed or “exposed.” You get to meet one-on-one with a skill guide in a full private setting. Your sessions are precisely where you can feel safe letting your guard down.

From this foundation, you can see that you can’t keep creating new coping mechanisms. The answers can be found by digging deep and exploring the underlying reasons why you feel so much anxiety. Working as a team, you and your therapist can discover new approaches to enable you to thrive again. 

Reach out to learn more about anxiety therapy and how it can help you manage perfectionism.