This condition refers to symptoms that are opposite to those of conventional anxiety. Anxiety usually involves secluding oneself from others and staying aloof. Anxiety makes you want to stay away from people and gatherings and parties. On the other hand, high functioning anxiety means to outwardly maintain a happy and calm demeanor which is way different from the actual, inherent insecurities. While suffering from this disorder, one may pretend to socialize and fit in but secretly wants to discard all kinds of social events and meetups. They try to maintain a false image.
People become overachievers due to their constant questioning of their self-worth. However well they do, they’re never good enough for themselves. This is because they feel that they’re not entitled to make mistakes or do anything less than what can be called perfect. They feel that they would be judged, humiliated, and disregarded by others, otherwise. Thus, they become more and more conscious of themselves and what they do. Following are the symptoms of high functioning anxiety.
- Overworking
This refers to draining oneself in work to stay occupied. This results from the need to meet self-assumed expectations and deadlines. Patients feel that they don’t deserve a break or even a tad bit of relaxation before they complete the work that they’re doing. They focus solely on one thing at a time. Before the completion of something that’s near to perfection, they have breakdowns and panic attacks, caused due to stress and anxiety. After prolonged hours of work, pangs of unproductivity hit hard and this is the worst time for high functioning anxiety patients who find it difficult to cope, during these times.
- Inability To Say No
People having high functioning anxiety feel the constant need to please people and work according to their expectations, even if that means, taxing their health. They go out of their way to be there for them and make them feel comfortable. This is also a kind of defense mechanism because they don’t want other people to go through what they feel. They don’t want to face their thoughts.
- Overthinking
The question of “what if” is the most commonly asked question when it comes to high functioning anxiety. People think about all how things could go wrong and turn away from their favor. They are unable to consider themselves good enough for anything and thus, the obsession with work and exemplarity. It might not show in their faces but when something happens that they had not anticipated, it bothers them. They have a hard time accepting changes and coming to terms with those.