kainaat Maqbool
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High functioning anxiety or just anxiety isn’t a walk in the park. It is the mental version of thousand nails being pressed against your head. No exaggeration!
You can’t see the physical implications of what panic attacks and living with everyday anxiety do to you, but it is equally (if not more!) painful.
What’s more is that it has already been proven that anxiety does affect us physically too, but people very conveniently fail to link those symptoms with their declining mental health and only seek treatment for what’s hurting on the outside.
Living with high functioning anxiety isn’t an easy job. It is going through a million ordeals for every single task you need to do.
On the outside, everybody looks at you and compliments you for the perfect life you live, but you are the only one who knows what’s going on on the inside.
Often, it is the reason behind overachieving, being organized, and obsessive drive to do something in life. These are the people who have crushing self-doubt, rumination, sleeplessness, and loneliness accompanying them every day.
If you are struggling with anxiety and do not know what it is and if it is high functioning and interrupting your daily life, read on to find more about it and learn ways through which you can master getting over it instead of letting it ruin your peace.
What Is High Functioning Anxiety
There is a lot of talk surrounding high functioning anxiety on the web, but most doctors do not recognize it as a distinct condition within anxiety on a broader level.
To understand it easily, you might already know that anxiety exists on multiple spectrums and affect different people in different ways just like any other disease.
While some people experience it during terse situations or have specific triggers, some are just in the constant state of anxiety to the level of being plagued by it even on the smallest of things.
The constant feelings of worry, stress or this generalized anxiety that doesn’t go away is called high functioning anxiety.
There is no doubt that it has a big impact on emotional health, but most of the symptoms of this kind of anxiety do not interrupt everyday life.
They are not severe enough to cause disruption and this is the main reason it is not categorized nor has a medical diagnosis.
But this does not mean that it isn’t significantly impacting your mental well-being. Many people with high functioning anxiety go about living their lives and regularly working without being noticed.
Some people become good at hiding the symptoms so all you see is a calm demeanor. Moreover, some people might even be driven by this anxiety to achieve more in life while on the inside they might feel scared, under confident, overthink, and find themselves unable to relax.
Causes Of High Functioning Anxiety
There is a lack of research in the area that might indicate why certain people have high functioning anxiety and others don’t.
However, even with research, it is not easy for experts to pinpoint the real causes of anxiety disorders though there is some combination of factors that might result in it.
Some of the most common ones include:
Intense Exposure To Stress
Intense exposure to stress for a prolonged time, an old trauma, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can result in high functioning anxiety or might become triggers to it.
Genetics
Sometimes anxiety disorders become one of those mental conditions that are passed from one generation to another especially if there is a prominent history in the family.
Substance Abuse
Misuse of drugs and overwhelming intake of alcohol can also result in anxiety and so can the withdrawal from these substances.
Health Issues
There are underlying health conditions like heart problems, thyroid disorder, hormonal imbalance, and PCOS among others that can also trigger or possibly worse anxiety.
Not just these, but if there is any other mental health disorder, it can also give birth to anxiety.
Personality Quirks
Sometimes having certain personality traits due to whatever reason or childhood conditioning like being alone, not talking to a lot of people, and not being able to make friends and acquaintances can result in triggering anxiety.
Traits Of High Functioning Anxiety
As mentioned above, those who have high functioning anxiety might be good at faking their outward appearances and feeling of constant overwhelm that accompanies them.
Every person experiences it differently, but there are some telltale signs and characteristics that are found in most of the people who suffer from it. Here are those:
- Perfectionist: Difficulty letting go of the notion of anything being less than ideal and even a small fault can be triggering
- Super helpful to a point that it might be harming them or causing an emotional, physical, or a personal upheaval
- Habits that might reveal nervousness like grinding teeth, lip-biting, and nail-biting among others
- Constant fear of failure creates a drive to struggle and hustle more every day
- Tendency to dwell and beat themselves over small mistakes
- Difficulty stepping outside of the comfort zone, living new experiences, and trying out new things
- A desire to be busy all the time and being uncomfortable in taking time to relax or to be with oneself
If you recognize any of these characteristics in yourself or a loved one, know that it is high functioning anxiety and it tends to be taken care of as soon as possible.
Treatment Of High Functioning Anxiety
Treating high functioning anxiety is a long journey but not exactly a difficult one for that matter. Some things can be done to minimize the symptoms, understand the triggers, and work to actively throw anxiety out of your life:
Start Understanding Your Symptoms
Recognize your symptoms for what they are. If you don’t already, know the symptoms of high functioning anxiety and try to match them with yours.
Understand and acknowledge the impact these have on you. Instead of over-analyzing everything, remind yourself that it is because you have anxiety.
Whenever you find yourself, people-pleasing, obsessing over something, working more than you should, etc. try to analyze if your anxiety is acting up.
Accept that you have anxiety, and it is as okay as having any other physical ailment. Understand these symptoms and recognize them for what they are. This is the first step toward healing.
Try To Get Rid Of Your Fear
Fear is the worst enemy of peace and comfort. Being anxious means that you are fearful of so many things that are running in your mind.
Make friends with your fear if you want to fight anxiety and defeat it. You may not like the sound of what I mentioned but believe me, it motivates you to do so much in life.
Anxiety wants you to stick to your comfort zone and anything that is out of it can feel like a big blob of a monster. But learn to step out of your comfort zone. Learn to connect with things that sound fearful because you know those are the things that anxiety is wrapping up in bad dreams for you.
Try and question every trait that I have mentioned above. Ask yourself why you do what you do. Dig deep into all your whys and ask all these questions. Once you understand the power of this, move onto the next step.
Seek Professional Help
This is the ultimate way to get rid of anxiety. When you are in the process of analyzing your triggers, understanding your condition, and fighting your fears, it is important to have the right person by your side to guide you through thick and thin.
Only a recognized mental health professional like a psychologist or therapist can help you with this. With the help of a professional, the journey to understanding your triggers and the path to healing will be shortened by a great margin.
They will help you process all the emotions and go through the overwhelm that accompanies you when you decide to put a stop to your high functioning anxiety. A professional is always the most reliable step.
Focus On Yourself
One of the best ways to get rid of anxiety is to look after your physical health. Exercise every day, it helps clear out your mind. Eat healthy because what you consume plays a huge role as well.
Yoga and meditation work magic when days your head is filled with questions, and you can’t seem to put a stop to the thoughts racing in your mind.
Practicing slow breathing and other techniques related to it help a lot. In short, find time to pay attention to how you react physically to anxiety and find ways to be mindful and practice what serves you the best.
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