7 Signs of High Functioning Anxiety
7 Signs of High Functioning Anxiety
You appear to have it all together on the outside. You may have a successful career, excelling academically, have a vibrant social life, or robust hobbies and interests. But underneath all of that, you’re feeling uneasy, stressed, or have racing thoughts and uncontrollable worries. If this resonates with you, you might be dealing with high functioning anxiety, which so many Black and brown women often struggle with. According to the DSM-5, in order to meet criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, “The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant… impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.” But for many BIWOC (Black, Indigenous Women of Color), our ability to function is necessary for survival. High Functioning Anxiety is when you experience the symptoms of anxiety including uncontrollable worries, fear, persistent uneasiness, while still maintaining all the daily life demands on your plate. Here are 7 signs of high functioning anxiety:
Perfectionism: You hold yourself to unrealistically high expectations and anything short of perfection feels like a personal failure. Even when you have achieved great things, you believe that you should’ve could’ve done more or done better. The pursuit of perfection has become so ingrained that you rarely feel proud of yourself and you experience self doubt often.
Overthinking and Ruminating Thoughts: Your mind is constantly running; you’re thinking about your never ending to-do list all the time. You also may find yourself thinking about all the what ifs or worse case scenarios. You get stuck on the smallest details because you are constantly evaluating. And it’s hard to make decisions because of the constant deliberation.
The Need for External Validation: External Validation is the acknowledgement, acceptance and understanding of your emotions or experiences from other people. You find yourself constantly seeking external validation from those around you as a source of reassurance. You often seek the approval of others because you experience a fear of criticism or rejection.
Difficulty Saying No: Regardless of how much or little capacity you have, you say yes to every request. You have a hard time saying no or setting boundaries because you don’t want to disappoint others. You worry about falling short of other’s expectations of you, so saying no feels too risky or scary.
Disconnected From Your Body: Our bodies are constantly communicating with us through sensations. You may be experiencing muscle tension, stomach issues, or a racing heart but you are so disconnected from your body that you push through those sensations.You overlook your body’s cues so that you can power through to complete the demands of the day.
Hard Time Relaxing: You tell yourself you don’t have time to rest or relax. Maybe you tell yourself that you have to earn rest once you’ve completed X, Y or Z. In the off chance that you do rest, your mind is still racing or the worries continue to persist. You can barely have a moment of calm.
Fear of Failure: You may avoid situations where this is a possibility of failure. If you won’t be good at it, what’s the point of doing it? And if you do fail, you fear catastrophic consequences of that failure. The fear of failure fuels anxious thoughts.
High functioning anxiety can be such a challenging experience to navigate. Recognizing these signs is the first step in your healing journey. As a therapist, my work with clients centers around identifying these symptoms and working together to find the best way to navigate these struggles.
You certainly don’t have to work through these challenges alone. Book your consultation call with me today to get started.
