High functioning anxiety

In our society you have to be useful, productive. Sometimes, what at first glance may be a profitable behavior, when analyzed more carefully, actually hides an inner malaise.

The two sides of high functioning anxiety

On one side :

  • High-achieving
  • Proactive
  • Social
  • Ability to appear calm
  • Meets deadlines
  • Organized
  • Hardworking

On the other side :

  • Fear of failure
  • Perfectionist
  • Self-critical
  • Racing thoughts
  • Often exhausted/fatigued
  • Afraid to disappoint others
  • Procrastinates when stressed

Having high functioning anxiety can make you :

  1. Feel as if something is always out of place;
  2. Fixate on the worst case scenario;
  3. Avoid your feelings by keeping busy;
  4. Often feel overwhelmed about the future;
  5. Doubt your abilities even when succeed;
  6. Sleep too little or too much;
  7. Overthink and dwell on the smallest things;
  8. Turn to drugs or alcohol to relieve strees;
  9. Cancel plans that you wanted to go to.