22 Characteristics That Can Point To Having High-Functioning Anxiety
September 5, 2019
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Living with anxiety can be extremely difficult. Whether your anxiety is situational, severe, or high-functioning, having anxiety in general can make even the simplest tasks seem daunting. When it comes to high-functioning anxiety, many people who suffer from it don’t even realize they have it. Here are 22 common characteristics of someone with high-functioning anxiety.
Thank you to VeryWell Mind for sharing this important information about anxiety with us.
Although there are actually some positive characteristics associated with having high-functioning anxiety such as being punctual, proactive, organized, motivated, detail-oriented, and outgoing, it’s the negative characteristics of high-functioning anxiety that can really start to affect a person’s life.
1. People pleaser (fear of driving people away)
2. Nervous chatter
3. Nervous habits (playing with your hair, cracking knuckles, biting your lip)
4. Need to do repetitive things (counting stairs, rocking back and forth)
5. Over-thinking
6. Lost time (arriving to appointments too early)
7. Need for reassurance (asking for directions multiple times, checking on others frequently)
8. Procrastination followed by long periods of crunch-time work
9. Avoiding eye contact
10. Rumination and a tendency to dwell on the negative (“what if?” thoughts, dwelling on past mistakes)
11. Inability to say no and an overloaded schedule (fear of being a bad friend or letting people down)
12. Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep, waking early and unable to fall back asleep)
13. Racing mind
14. Others think you are difficult to read (stoic, unemotional, cold)
15. A limited life (turning down invitations)
16. Inability to enjoy the moment (expecting the worst)
17. Intimidated by the future
18. Tendency to compare yourself to others (falling short of expectations)
19. Mental and physical fatigue
20. Overly busy/full schedule (fear of saying no)
21. Loyal to a fault in relationships
22. Potential for alcohol or substance abuse as a coping method
If you identify with many or all of these characteristics, consult with your doctor or another trusted healthcare professional. Although living with anxiety is sometimes a lifelong journey, there are many ways to cope with, manage, and minimize your anxiety. If you would like to speak with someone about your anxiety, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
