Living with an anxiety disorder is not easy and when not addressed properly, it can be debilitating. It may extend to numerous areas in your life and others may begin perceiving you as lazy, passive, and irresponsible.
But, only you know what is going on inside of you and some people cannot even imagine how you feel. This being said, it is crucial that we increase the awareness about anxiety. Continue reading the article to learn about this condition and the major struggles that individuals who have it are going through.
What Is High-Functioning Anxiety?
High-functioning anxiousness is challenging when it comes to its management. The individual may look fine on the outside, but on the inside, he/she is barely making it through the day. These people go through with tasks and may seem fine in social situations; however, they are actually fighting with anxiety disorder symptoms like fear, fast heart rate, gut distress, etc.
In most cases, they do not stay away from anxiety-triggering situations and do not seem to have a disruption in their daily lives. According to Bridges to Recovery, despite not being officially listed as a mental health problem, this condition is very real for people who have it.
8 Things only People with High-Functioning Anxiety Understand
- Obsessed with trivialities
For this person, one simple word or a glance can turn on their anxiety and they will start to process and recall the event for the days to come. The sufferer may feel “crazy” from the obsession with things that happened and those that are happening. They constantly ruminate on the simplest of conversations and cannot stop thinking about how strangers looked at them. Others may often be confused when they learn about the things you are noticing, right?
- Torn apart by the smallest mistakes
It is in our human nature to make errors; however, your anxious mind cannot accept this. One of the worst scenarios for you is to do something wrong at work- your thoughts will begin to consume you and you may not be able to handle them. Remember, mistakes are natural, especially when you make efforts and it is your anxiousness that does not allow you to perceive them in this way.
- Constantly comparing yourself with peers
Even though you know that comparing yourself to others does no good, your anxiety makes you scroll through people’s social media and check out how they live their lives. You tend to worry that your life is not going in the way it should. Often times, you may even think that you may never be successful in life as they are. As a result, your self-esteem significantly decreases.
- Missing out on the fun despite wanting to be a part
A lot of people do not understand that your decision to stay at home is nothing because of them. Even when there is a good reason to get out from home, your anxiousness does not allow you to leave and enjoy yourself. You start to think that you will be a burden for your friends and thus, you end up cancelling everything.
- Dreading the future
Most people look forward to what the future has to bring and enjoy setting goals and making plans. But, for high-functioning individuals, the future brings a lot of frustration and uncertainty. Their high awareness of the present prevents them from thinking positively about the future and they hide away from thinking about it.
- Rethinking previous conversations
Socializing, laughing with people, and conversing are activities that are enjoyable for most people; however, this is not the case with you. Even though you have previously planned what you are going to say, you will constantly rewind the sentences in your head. You will go back to the conversations when you “said something wrong” or “hurt somebody by saying something wrong”; even though this may not necessarily be the truth.
- When people try to help, things become worse
During your anxious moments, if someone asks you if you are alright, your world will collapse. Your self-perception decreases when you learn that your anxiety is so strong that it is noticeable and you wish you could disappear. You think that your condition is something that harms others and you do not deserve help. Allow people inside, this may help you feel more comfortable and less troubled.
- Getting out of bed can be hard
When the anxiety kicks in, getting out of bed can be challenging both physically and mentally. As a result, you tend to feel exhausted and you cannot do anything else rather than lie and d nothing while your brain is trying to recuperate. But, you cannot sleep- you are just lying and staring at the ceiling.
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