Someone can have high-functioning anxiety without realizing it because they have become accustomed to living with a certain amount of constant stress.

They may believe that because they can still function at work, in school, and in other areas of their lives, they have manageable stress and cannot benefit from seeking treatment.

Robles Ranch recognizes the 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety and how to provide life-changing treatment that helps people feel more relaxed regularly.

Learn more about our residential mental health treatment programs in California or verify your insurance now. 

What is High-Functioning Anxiety?

Before exploring the 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety, let’s define what it is.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in the U.S., impacting about one in five adults each year.

Someone with high-functioning anxiety feels anxious in most or all areas of their lives. They experience stress at home, at work, in school, and in their social lives. The levels of anxiety can rise and fall, but they are consistently there.

The person has become used to enduring elevated levels of anxiety and often can hide their situation from those around them. They work to mask their anxiety from others because they want to believe they can handle it all or they are somehow failing if they don’t wear their anxiety well. 

7 Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety

There are 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety that occur when a person faces the challenges of this type of anxiety disorder.

Many are noticeable by both the individual and those around them, including family, partners, friends, and co-workers. 

1. Difficulty Relaxing

Even when the individual has completed a task or feels they have control over an upcoming situation, they still find it hard to relax. Even if they kick back on the couch, meet up with friends, or dive into a book or streaming service, they don’t feel truly relaxed. 

2. Being a Perfectionist

People with high-functioning anxiety tend to set unrealistic goals because they feel that only perfection will do. This compounds the anxiety related to their activities, which then cycles into feeling disappointed in themselves, which causes more anxiety.

3. Abusing Drugs or Alcohol

Because the symptoms of anxiety disorders are hard to bear, many people end up using drugs or drinking alcohol to help ease them. This can lead to increased symptoms of anxiety or the development of depression, as well as cause them to develop an addiction.

4. Procrastination

Because anxiety accompanies most situations in the life of someone with high-functioning anxiety, they can develop a hesitancy to begin many tasks. They fear the anxiety symptoms they will feel and worry they will not perfectly complete their task, so they avoid starting or completing it.  

5. Withdrawing From Friends and Family

Anxiety takes a toll on a person, often leaving them feeling exhausted and like they need to isolate. They may withdraw from gatherings with family and friends and other social events. This proves especially true if the person also has symptoms of a social anxiety disorder. 

6. Overthinking

Anxiety can cause a person to overthink even the smallest of tasks because they want to control every aspect of it as much as possible. They want total control to help assuage their anxiety, but often end up obsessively worrying about something, which stalls them out on dealing with the task. 

7. Physical Symptoms

Unresolved anxiety can manifest in medical symptoms that have no other explanation. They can include headaches, body aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Many people end up taking over-the-counter and prescription medications to feel better without realizing the true source of their symptoms.

How is High-Functioning Anxiety Treated?

Anxiety disorders are treated with different types of therapy, including individual, group, and experiential types.

Common therapies used to treat anxiety include:

• Animal-Assisted Therapy
• Holistic Therapy
• Inner Child Work
• Psychiatry
• Somatic Therapy
• Family Therapy 
• Group Therapy
• Individual Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  
  

Many people often respond well to prescription medications that minimize their symptoms. Some are only needed on a short-term basis, while others work better over longer periods. 

Begin Treatment for High-Functioning Anxiety

Do you struggle with high-functioning anxiety and want relief from the daily stress this causes you?

We live in a society that promotes the idea that everyone is completely stressed out, and you just have to learn to deal with it.

Robles Ranch understands how to help people reduce anxiety in their lives and make each day more manageable.

We address the 7 signs of high-functioning anxiety and any other accompanying symptoms a person has, so they can rise above stress and enjoy a more serene way to experience life. We provide multiple types of therapies and access to prescription medications to help ease the symptoms of anxiety.

Learn more by calling us at 866-840-3841 or verify your insurance now.