Today we’re going to be taking a look at 11 signs of high functioning anxiety. But what is high functioning anxiety? It’s not specified as an independent anxiety disorder. It’s more a sort of catch-all term used to describe people who live with anxiety but are actually able to function well in other parts of their life.
Remember, if you feel like you need help dealing with anxiety you should speak to a medical professional.
Here are 11 signs of high functioning anxiety. How many of these apply to your situation? What have you found helps with anxiety? Let us know in the comments section at the end.
1. You can be controlling
Due to your high levels of anxiety you can often be quite controlling, even without noticing that you’re doing it. This is a habit you get into over time, controlling even little things can help to relieve your anxiety as you feel you have more control over your environment and are able to anticipate any incoming changes.
2. You find it hard to relax
Many people who suffer from high functioning anxiety find it hard to relax as they struggle to switch off. Work, tasks around the home, general exercise… there’s always something that could be done and the anxiety prevents you from being able to ignore it all.
3. You strive for perfectionism
High functioning anxiety can actually result in the constant need for perfection. This can be seen in various areas of your life. It may be at work, around the home, or in your relationships.
4. People struggle to read you
People who struggle with high functioning anxiety can often be seen as hard to read. Anxiety often results in keeping your emotions to yourself and putting up a guard to protect yourself. This leads to people getting the impression that you’re very hard to read, they may even end up thinking you’re a very mentally strong character as you keep your emotions hidden.
5. Your head can be filled with negative self-talk
Another common sign of high functioning anxiety is that constant nagging at the back of your mind that doubts your self worth and everything you do. These negative thoughts can be very intrusive and often obsessive. Day to day life can become very challenging when everything you try and do comes with these negative thoughts.
6. You end up with physical pain
Anxiety doesn’t just affect your mental health, it can in fact result in physical pain too. The anxiety and stress than can come from it can manifest itself in aches and pains around the body. Common pains that people with high functioning anxiety suffer from include neck aches, shoulder pain and knots in the stomach.
7. You struggle getting good sleep
Getting a good nights rest is essential for our mental health and well-being. Unfortunately, for a lot of people who suffer from high functioning anxiety, getting a healthy amount of high quality sleep can prove very difficult.
The moment you set your head down on the pillow all yours thoughts rush through your mind and your anxiety levels rise up, making it very hard to just let things go and get to sleep. Even when you are able to finally get to sleep, it’s not uncommon to wake up often in the night and struggle getting to sleep all over again.
8. You require reassurance to sooth your anxiety
People who suffer from anxiety will often end up worrying about things that are extremely unlikely to happen, maybe even impossible. They end up seeking help and reassurance from others that their fears are in fact irrational.
9. You exhibit nervous habits
Anxiety can go hand in hand with nervous habits like biting nails, picking at fingers, foot tapping and the like. Tics like these are often the result of built up anxiety and we end up finding some feeling of release from doing them.
10. You can end up abusing substances
Anxiety disorders are known to be a risk factor when it comes to substance abuse. If you find that you often end up engaging in these practices to relief your stress then it’s another sign you could be suffering from high functioning anxiety. If you feel you are in this position please do consider seeking professional medical help.
11. You find yourself trying to avoid all your thoughts
It’s not uncommon for people with high functioning anxiety to try and avoid their thoughts. If parts of their day are often uncomfortable, they’ll put them off for as long as they can. Whilst distracting yourself from these tasks at the time may seem like a win, you’ll still have to complete them at some point, and when you do, you’ll still have the anxiety and stress there.
Conclusion
Was today’s article useful for you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.