Get Over High-Functioning Anxiety By Making These Small Changes

Anxiety can manifest itself in several ways, one of which is called high-function anxiety. Generally, a person dealing with high-function anxiety looks well put up, successful and capable in life from the outside. However, they may be handling intense anxiety and stress from the inside. People with high-function anxiety excel at work and studies and look competent enough in dealing with their relationships. It is often fear of failure and letting others downs that result in putting a perfect exterior.

Talking about high-function anxiety, therapist Lalitaa Suglani, in an Instagram post, wrote, “High-functioning anxiety is a form of anxiety where individuals outwardly appear successful and capable in their daily lives, but internally, they experience significant anxiety and stress. People with high functioning anxiety often excel in their work or studies, maintain relationships, and accomplish tasks, but this success comes at the cost of intense and constant worry, perfectionism, and fear of failure.”

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According to Suglani, high functioning anxiety can be difficult to recognize because people may appear composed from the outside. The inner conflict, if left unaddressed, can result in increased stress, burnout, and a negative impact on overall well-being.

Suglani said that managing high-function anxiety is an ongoing process and it is alright to seek help if you need it. One should embrace the journey of self-discovery and self-care, and celebrate their progress along the way, she added.

Here are the ways to deal with high-functioning anxiety

1. Practise consciousness: Meditation and deep breathing are mindfulness techniques that can help us in familiarising ourselves with our thoughts and becoming better at understanding the anxiety.
2. Creativity: Creativity helps us to release stress and anxiety. Finding creative outlets like painting, dancing, and sketching can help us release difficult emotions, lighten our load and ease anxiety.
3. Spending less time on social media: Spending our time on social media and seeing other people’s posts can give us a sense of fear of missing out. It leads to deep dissatisfaction with our lives which results in anxiety, inadequacy, and loneliness. Hence, it is important to limit our time on social media.
4. Time management: A healthy routine, can help us manage our anxiety well. It is important to take time out for meditating, journaling, exercising, and practicing self-care.
5. Seeking professional help: Stigma around mental health can make us apprehensive about reaching out for help. Hence, we must not hesitate or be embarrassed to for seeking help from a therapist, counsellor, or psychiatrist.
6. Controlling negative thoughts and overthinking: Negative thoughts can escalate fear and worry. Putting a stop to overthinking can help in reducing anxiety.
7. Practice self-compassion: Indulging in self-care is important to feel good about oneself. It does no good to be harsh on ourselves. Viewing ourselves with kindness and compassion is important. A person with self-compassion acknowledges their faults without any judgement.
8. Set realistic goals: Setting realistic and achievable goals and expecting reasonable results from oneself will create less anxiety and stress.