High-Functioning Anxiety: What Is It and How Does It Affect You?

11/17/22

If you’ve heard the term “high-functioning anxiety,” you may have questions. For one, what exactly is it? And how do you know if you have it?

Read on to learn more about high-functioning anxiety and get the answers to your questions.

Defining high-functioning anxiety

First off, let’s define “high-functioning anxiety.” It’s important to know that this isn’t an official diagnosis that you will receive from a licensed mental health professional. That’s because you won’t find high-functioning anxiety listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (commonly referred to as the DSM-5), which is the gold standard of mental disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Nonetheless, we can easily define high-functioning anxiety by breaking it up into its two components:

• “High functioning,” often placed before a noun as a compound adjective, generally means that someone generally manages to function in life despite the noun that follows. A common phrase you might hear is “high-functioning alcoholic,” for example.
• “Anxiety” refers to the fact of being anxious, and isn’t necessarily a diagnosed mental disorder, such as “generalized anxiety disorder.” In fact, anxiety, generally speaking, is something everyone experiences to some degree, and works to help keep us safe from potential dangers.

So, put together, someone with high-functioning anxiety will generally manage to present the appearance of someone who is well put together and successful, while facing significant anxiety on the inside.

Michael and Martina: Examples of high-functioning anxiety

Meet Michael. He’s the supervisor of a team of developers at a top software company in Silicon Valley. The employees he supervises would generally agree that he’s a strong leader with a successful pedigree, calming presence, and the vision it takes to lead the way in the tech space.

Little do they know, however, that Michael sits in his car before work sometimes to practice deep breathing exercises. They also don’t see the therapy sessions where Michael works through his feelings of imposter syndrome. They’re not inside his head, where he constantly faces stress and racing, obsessive thoughts.

Now, meet Martina. She’s a working mom while also going back to school to get her degree. Her teachers and classmates would all tell you that she’s an amazing person who is on a mission to improve her life. Underneath the surface, however, Martina has days where she struggles to make it to class, days where doubts run through her mind on a loop, and days where she wonders if she has the strength to keep going.

Michael and Martina are just two people out of millions around the world who face anxiety. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t tend to stop for us. We may be able to power through and keep going, but anxiety has a way of catching up with us. And while we may be smiling, “successful,” and generally able to impress the people around us, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t facing anxiety and struggling on the inside.

Generalized anxiety disorder: symptoms and causes

If you consider yourself to have high-functioning anxiety, then you may have generalized anxiety disorder, which is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder. What this means is that your anxiety, generally speaking, does not prevent you from living a relatively stable and successful life.

Nonetheless, you may have significant symptoms, such as the following:

• Feeling high amounts of anxiety most days
• Restlessness or nervousness
• Trouble concentrating
• Getting tired easily
• Sleep problems
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Headaches

So, while someone with high-functioning anxiety may be managing to get through their days and present themselves in a positive way, they might be dealing with sleep issues, obsessive thoughts, and a sore neck and shoulders from tense muscles.

But what causes the generalized anxiety disorder that may be behind high-functioning anxiety?

While mental disorders are serious conditions that require diagnosis from a professional, there are some common factors that may contribute to generalized anxiety disorder, such as:

• Exposure to stress and anxiety-inducing situations
• Substance use disorder, including alcoholism
• Family history (especially of anxiety disorders)
• Some physical health conditions (e.g. thyroid issues)

Having one or more of these does not necessarily mean you have generalized anxiety disorder, however, which is why it’s important to consult a doctor or other licensed mental health professional for a diagnosis.

Wrapping up

It’s important to recognize high-functioning anxiety because it affects many people. Right now, someone with anxiety on the inside is managing to get through their day as a partner, a parent, an employee, etc. Some people may go their entire lives without seeking help, but your mental health matters too much to ignore it. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, or are generally concerned about your anxious feelings, don’t hesitate to consult with a licensed mental health professional. It can make a world of difference, allowing you to live your high-functioning life without the unwanted side of stress and anxiety.