Worry and fear are common emotions in everyone, but pervasive and debilitating feelings of fear are a likely sign of anxiety. Some people struggle with anxiety but are skilled at masking their feelings and putting up a front of normality; this condition is commonly referred to as “high-functioning anxiety”. If you believe you have high-functioning anxiety, A Caring Approach can support you.
Common Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety shares many common symptoms with generalized anxiety disorder. People with both types of anxiety commonly suffer from constant and pervasive fear, such as a sense of impending doom, a worry over how people perceive them, and stress over completely losing control. This can also manifest in physical symptoms, such as excessive sweating, high heart rates, and migraines.
Where high-functioning anxiety differs from other types of anxiety is how these symptoms emerge. While some people with anxiety suffer from extreme and recognizable symptoms such as panic attacks that directly affect their ability to go through life, people with high-functioning anxiety tend to mask their symptoms and pretend that nothing is wrong. While this can make you seem “normal”, without treatment and support, your anxiety will steadily build up and break you down. If you believe you have high-functioning anxiety, A Caring Approach can work with you to determine a diagnosis and get you the help you need.
How Anxiety Therapy Can Help You
People with high-functioning anxiety often rationalize that they can get by despite their fear, but there is never anything wrong with asking for help. Anxiety therapy, such as the kind offered by A Caring Approach, can be greatly effective at managing your symptoms and helping you become truly functional, instead of just pretending to be. For more mild anxiety symptoms, self-care routines such as regular meditation and exercise can be effective at reducing feelings of dread. If your symptoms are strong and pervasive, anxiety therapy and CBT therapy can help you develop effective mental behaviors to manage symptoms and gain access to medication if needed. Whatever type of anxiety you suffer from, anxiety therapy can help you develop the tools you need to live a healthy life.
A Caring Approach’s High-Functioning Anxiety Therapy
A Caring Approach is proud to provide anxiety therapy for the people of the Washington, D.C., and Virginia areas. Our licensed therapists can work with you to determine the severity of your symptoms and develop a treatment plan that will truly help you reach a healthy baseline. If you are an individual with high-functioning anxiety looking for help, or if you are interested in receiving a diagnosis, feel free to contact us today.