Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders among Americans, falling on a broad spectrum of severity. Since the onset of COVID-19, people of all ages and walks of life report experiencing more frequent or consistent feelings of anxiety. Often, the fear and worry from anxiety cause people to feel paralyzed and unable to complete the routine tasks of daily life. For these individuals, the effects of their anxiety can be apparent to themselves, leading them to seek anxiety treatment.
Sometimes, anxiety causes people to overthink, overanalyze, and overperform, leaving them in a constant state of duress. While these individuals appear to function normally and seem fine outside, they often struggle internally with chronic anxiety symptoms. If this describes you, you may have high-functioning anxiety. Call Rose Hill Center today at 866.367.0220 to learn how our anxiety treatment center in Holly, Michigan can help.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety?
Despite concerted efforts to combat it, there remains a strong stigma attached to mental health disorders. At the same time, especially in American culture, driven and successful individuals are highly regarded and praised. These individuals often suffer from high-functioning anxiety while appearing to the outside world to deal with life’s ups and downs.
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of high-functioning anxiety is difficult in large part because people often hide their symptoms. Some common symptoms of high-functioning anxiety include:
- Constantly overthinking and overanalyzing
- Fear of failure and striving for perfection
- Insomnia and fatigue
- The need to please others and difficulty saying no
- Tendency to dwell on past mistakes
- Nervous habits such as nail-biting, hair twirling, or leg shaking
- Excessive worry and difficulty expressing emotions
Many characteristics of individuals with high-functioning anxiety are thought of positively, such as being punctual, organized, outgoing, helpful, detail-oriented, proactive, and high-achieving. Others often view these characteristics as part of a person’s personality rather than the result of anxiety.
Negative Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety
Despite the outward appearance of calm and success, individuals with high-functioning anxiety possess several negative characteristics, including:
- Rumination or constant thoughts of “What if…?”
- Procrastination followed by intense periods of crunch-time work
- Tendency to compare self to others
- Inability to relax and enjoy the moment, or always expecting the worst
- Feeling intimidated by or constantly worrying about the future
- Racing thoughts or inability to turn off
- Increased risk for substance abuse disorders
Individuals with high-functioning anxiety tend to present a persona to those around them and keep their true feelings bottled up and compartmentalized, leading to other mental health disorders like depression.
Finding High-Functioning Anxiety Treatment in Michigan
High-functioning anxiety isn’t a separate clinical diagnosis, but that does not mean that it is not a legitimate condition affecting many. Most people know of the fight or flight response which is our natural response to stress and danger. However, there are two lesser-known components to this natural response: freeze and fawn. The freeze response is associated with what people usually picture when they think of anxiety: impaired functioning or paralyzation in fear. The fawn response is a hallmark of high-functioning anxiety and involves acting immediately to please someone to avoid conflict.
At Rose Hill Center, we provide mental health counseling in Michigan for individuals dealing with any form of anxiety. The primary treatments for anxiety are medication and psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. Some of the therapies we offer at our anxiety treatment center in Michigan include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Trauma-informed therapy
- EMDR therapy
- Integrative therapy
- Individual and group therapy
Many people who suffer from anxiety turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. Thus, we also offer co-occurring rehabilitation services. While high-functioning anxiety can look and feel different from other types of anxiety, it can be just as disruptive and deserving of treatment. This is why high-functioning anxiety treatment in Michigan is essential to maintaining the life that everyone deserves.
Contact Rose Hill Center for Mental Health Treatment in Michigan
Anxiety, in any form, can lead to other physical and mental health concerns when left untreated. Through the comprehensive, compassionate anxiety treatment at Rose Hill Center, you can overcome your anxiety and improve your quality of life. To learn more about our anxiety treatment center in Michigan, contact us at 866.367.0220.
