If you or someone that you were close to had an anxiety disorder, you’d know it, right? If the condition didn’t cause obvious harm, identifying the problem might be much more difficult that you expect. That’s one reason why it can be so valuable to be aware of the 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety.
Struggling with constant worry while appearing calm on the surface? Learn the 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety and take the first step toward relief today. Call us today or visit our admissions page now!
What Is High-Functioning Anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are a mental health conditions that cause extreme worry and excessive fear. Depending on the type and severity of a person’s symptoms, untreated anxiety disorders can lead to problems such as:
- Substandard performance in school or at work
- Difficulty keeping a job and progressing in your career
- Strained relationships with friends, family members, and colleagues
- The development or worsening of co-occurring mental health conditions
- Diminished confidence and self-esteem
In short, untreated anxiety can prevent people from living productive and satisfying lives. But not everyone who struggles with anxiety is affected in this manner.
For some people, anxiety pushes them to achieve what looks like a happy life and a successful career. Yet even though they may have the outward trappings of success, they’re unable to find true emotional peace. Individuals like this are often described as having high-functioning anxiety.
7 Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety is treatable, but you can’t get appropriate care until you acknowledge that you have a problem. The best way to determine if you have an anxiety disorder or any other mental health condition is to be assessed by a qualified expert.
Not sure if you should schedule an assessment? If any (or all) of the following 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety sound familiar to you, it may be time to make the call.
Overthinking
You pride yourself on looking at problems from all conceivable angles. To your friends and colleagues, it looks like you are a thorough, detail-oriented person. But the truth is that you have difficulty making decisions – and when you do decide something, you have a habit of second-guessing yourself.
As you read through this list, you’ll see how many signs of high-functioning anxiety connect. Overthinking often ties into perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and an intense fear of failure. If you don’t think you’re good enough, and you believe that failure will reveal your flaws to the world, it can be quite hard to make a decision and stick with it.
Perfectionism
Outwardly, perfectionism may simply look like a strong desire to do great work. While a commendable commitment to quality results can be one part of perfectionism, there’s a reason why this trait is included in this list.
Often, perfectionism has less to do with pursuing excellence and more to do with fear of failing. It can manifest as an obsession with changing and improving, which in a business environment can delay projects and cause overruns of both time and money.
In the context of your personal life, perfectionism can cause you to continually doubt yourself while also placing unrealistic demands on others.
Imposter Syndrome
Deep down, you know you’re not good enough to do your job, and you’re just waiting for those around you to realize this, too.
If you often feel this way, you’re experiencing what experts call imposter syndrome. This aspect of high-functioning anxiety doesn’t just affect those new to their jobs or stepping into roles they haven’t fully trained for. Imposter syndrome isn’t related to actual skill, talent, experience, or education.
Even among people who are more than qualified for their jobs, and who have histories of success, imposter syndrome can cause them to doubt that they are truly worthy of the role they’re in or the accolades they’ve received.
Difficulty Delegating
This can be tied into the previous three signs in this list. If you’re a perfectionist, you struggle to make decisions (and stick to them), and you fear that you haven’t earned the position you’re in, you may find it extremely difficult to delegate tasks.
First, simply trying to decide on the right person to take on a task can be an agonizing prospect for someone with high-functioning anxiety. Then, once you’ve delegated the assignment, you may be plagued with doubts such as:
- Will delegating the task make it look like you’re not a hard worker?
- What if the person who takes on the project doesn’t do it well? Won’t that mean that you’ve let down your organization, your colleagues, and yourself?
- What if the person who takes on the project does it better than you would have? Won’t that prove to your colleagues that you’re a fake and a failure?
Vacation Guilt
Vacation guilt can be an extension of your difficulties with delegation.
If watching someone else handle your assigned work leaves you feeling anxious, even when you’re there to supervise and support, how will you cope when it’s time to step away from all your responsibilities?
Imposter syndrome often plays a role here, too. Guilt about taking time off may stem from a persistent fear that your supervisors or colleagues will realize they don’t need you.
Extreme Fear of Failure
No one wants to fail. We work hard, we do our best, and we want to succeed. But we also realize that failures are inevitable, potentially valuable, parts of life.
Someone with high-functioning anxiety might find it very difficult to agree with the previous sentence.
As with perfectionism, extreme fear of failure can look like goal-oriented motivation. But for someone with high-functioning anxiety, this motivation comes from the belief that their failures define them as a person.
From this perspective, missing a promotion or losing a client isn’t just a setback—it’s proof of personal unworthiness.
Physical Symptoms
In addition to psychological distress and maladaptive behaviors, high-functioning anxiety can also involve a variety of physical symptoms. Common physical signs that are associated with this mental health concern include:
- Frequent headaches and/or stomach aches
- Persistent muscle tension
- Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
- Pervasive fatigue or exhaustion
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Racing heart rate
- Chest pain
- Sense of being smothered or choked
- Tingling in the hands and feet
If you have been experiencing any of the physical symptoms of high-functioning anxiety, you should schedule an assessment with your primary healthcare provider as well as with a mental health professional. Even if you suspect that these symptoms are related to emotional distress, you need to be sure they’re not evidence of a medical problem
Find Anxiety Treatment in Athens, Georgia
Serenity Grove is a premier provider of customized care for adults who have been living with high-functioning anxiety and other mental health concerns. We also serve people whose struggles with mental illnesses are accompanied by co-occurring addictions to alcohol or other drugs.
At our mental health treatment center in Athens, GA, our highly skilled and compassionate professionals will care for you. Working together, we can help you learn to manage your symptoms so that you can live a healthier and more satisfying life.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
