MoodRx Clinical Staff - Jul 29, 2024
High-functioning anxiety: 7 signs it's time to seek help
While everyone feels anxious sometimes, not everyone has anxiety. And if you have misconceptions about what a diagnosable anxiety disorder actually looks like, you may miss the signs that you should start exploring mental health treatment options that can help.
Many people assume that everyone with an anxiety disorder is unable to get through their day without feeling overwhelmed by their symptoms. However, it’s possible to have high-functioning anxiety. High-functioning anxiety essentially means that a person is able to handle their day-to-day life while internally struggling with excessive thoughts of worry and concern.
But if high-functioning anxiety doesn’t interfere with your everyday responsibilities, how do you know when it’s time to seek help? Or perhaps you’ve learned to hide your symptoms from others. You should never feel like you have to mask your struggles. That's why it’s important to know when it’s time to ask for professional support.
We’re here to discuss signs that you could benefit from seeking help for high-functioning anxiety. We’ll also go over treatment that could be beneficial for people with high-functioning anxiety, such as therapy.
7 signs that you have high-functioning anxiety
High-functioning anxiety is usually categorized as a type of generalized anxiety disorder, though it doesn’t have its own diagnosis. It may also be used as an umbrella term for people who have anxiety symptoms but don’t align with the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as outlined in the DSM-5-TR.
It can be difficult to determine if you have high-functioning anxiety if you feel like your worries and stress don’t interfere with your ability to be productive or connect with others. Many signs may go unnoticed, especially if others view you as successful and outgoing. However, those traits may stem from fears caused by anxiety. For example, your success may be traced to an intense fear of failure. Being outgoing can come from the concern that people will have a negative opinion of you if they perceive you as being unengaged or interested in their conversation.
Although high-functioning anxiety can make you appear composed to others, it can have such an impact on your physical and emotional well-being that you’ve become good at hiding. Here are seven signs that it's time to seek help for your high-functioning anxiety:
- You don’t feel satisfied by your accomplishments — People with high-functioning anxiety tend to be described as driven and detail oriented. These seemingly positive qualities are supported by anxious thoughts. You could worry about a possible negative outcome or disappointing others. That’s why high-functioning anxiety can cause you to continue to strive for excellence. You may also struggle to give yourself credit when you reach your goals.
- You have decision paralysis — Overthinking is a common symptom of high-functioning anxiety. You become hyperfocused on a circumstance or situation. Overthinking often occurs when you have to make a choice and you spend too much time and energy trying to weigh all the possible options. Anxiety can make you worry about making the wrong decision, which can often lead to decision paralysis, or when you become overwhelmed by possible decisions and can’t pick an option.
- You have an impulsive need for reassurance — Self-doubt is a common struggle that everyone deals with sometimes. However, for people with high-functioning anxiety, the constant fear of not being “good enough” can lead to them needing reassurance from other people. If you find that you’re always seeking the approval of others or asking people about their thoughts of you, it may be time to seek help. This could mean reassurance for everything from an outfit choice to a person’s feelings about your relationship.
- You keep avoiding potentially stressful situations — Stress is never fun. However, it’s virtually impossible to ignore sometimes. From tight work deadlines to relationship difficulties, stress can hit you from all angles. If you purposefully go out of your way to avoid situations that may cause you stress, it’s time to seek help. An example is skipping out on a friend’s birthday party because you’re worried about meeting new people and making a good first impression.
- You have a constant feeling of impending doom — It’s natural to worry about a situation that you know is happening or is coming up in the future. However, high-functioning anxiety can make you feel worried about things that haven’t occurred yet. They may never occur in the first place. It can make you feel like something bad is going to happen so you have to be prepared, even when there isn’t a discernible reason for concern. It’s essentially like feeling dread all the time because you’re assuming something will happen. We all know that the unknown can be scary.
- You’re struggling to maintain a regular sleep schedule — Getting enough sleep is crucial for both your mental and physical health. For adults, getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night ensures that your body and mind are well rested for the following day. If you have high-functioning anxiety, it can be difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, which can impact your ability to function properly the next day. Sometimes, it can be hard to “shut your brain off” when it’s overwhelmed by worry and concern.
- You’re constantly feeling tension in your muscles — High-functioning anxiety can take a physical toll on your body. A common physical symptom of anxiety is muscle tension, making your body feel stiff and tight, potentially leading to pain. Muscle tension is connected to high-functioning anxiety because anxious thoughts can trigger your “fight-or-flight” response. It makes you feel like you have to be ready for anything. The tension can affect nearly any part of your body, but it’s often felt in the shoulders and jaw.
Therapy: An effective treatment option for high-functioning anxiety
If you’re experiencing one or more of the above signs on a persistent basis, it’s important to talk to your doctor. They’ll likely refer you to a psychotherapist. Mental health therapy is typically the best course of action when you’re starting to treat high-functioning anxiety.
High-functioning anxiety is a mental health challenge that can be improved with the right support and guidance. That’s where a therapist comes in.
A therapist is a mental health professional who can help clients with their mental health challenges by talking through the issues, learning valuable skills and adjusting their viewpoint on difficult situations.
The benefits of talking to a therapist for high-functioning anxiety include:
● Adjusting your perspective on stressful situations
● Readjusting your thought processes that contribute to your anxiety
● Learning about the root cause of your anxiety
● Talking through decisions with a third party
● Developing coping strategies and stress management techniques
MoodRx can help treat your high-functioning anxiety with virtual therapy
MoodRx is a virtual mental health therapy network. We pride ourselves on being able to provide you with sincere care through effective conversations to help you move along your mental health journey.
If you have high-functioning anxiety, one of our many qualified therapists can help you gain a better understanding of your symptoms and learn how you can manage them in the future. Everyone should be able to receive the support and resources they need for their anxiety, whether they have severe GAD that’s interfering with their everyday life or they have high-functioning anxiety that may go unnoticed by others.
We can help address and alleviate your high-functioning anxiety with the three M’s:
● Monitor — We encourage you to keep an eye out for signs of high-functioning anxiety to determine what challenges need to be addressed.
● Match — We will use the insight from your symptom monitoring to match you with the therapist who will be the best fit for your particular needs.
● Manage — We’ll be by your side as you take control of your high-functioning anxiety and learn to manage the challenges that come with it to improve the overall quality of your life.
Contact our team today for more information or to sign up for free.
