Highly functional anxiety: what is it, its characteristics and how to manage it?

Let's take a look at highly functional anxiety and its effects on life and work.

Anxiety is a human emotion that, although necessary, many people associate with psychological disorders and they are right. Extreme anxiety can bring with it diverse psychopathology, physical and mental health problems that take their toll on us.

There is a type of anxiety that, at first glance, seems to help us to move forward, to function properly in our daily lives. This, which is called highly functional anxietygives the feeling that it is nothing more than working under a little pressure but, in the long run, brings with it some problems.

Today we are going to see what this peculiar problem consists of, although today it is not considered a disorder, everything seems to indicate that it can be a risk factor for presenting an anxiety disorder.

What is highly functional anxiety?

Anxiety is a common emotion. There are those who consider it an intrinsically negative emotion, although others consider that, in its right measure, it serves to be able to cope with the demands of life, preparing us to face moments in which many resources will have to be mobilized to be able to get out of the way. However, it is known that extreme anxiety can bring with it mental disorders and, in fact, in the DSM-5 there is a specific group for anxiety disorders.

In recent years there has been talk of a type of problem that, while not considered a genuine mental disorder, can bring with it certain problems and moderate to severe psychological distress: high-functioning anxiety. As its name suggests, this is a type of anxiety in which the person functions apparently well in daily life, especially in the work environment, without becoming blocked or panic-stricken panic when having to fulfill their chores.

It could be said that they are people who manage to function very well in their day-to-day obligations, despite having worrying levels of anxiety. People with high-functioning anxiety, seen from the outside, fulfill the cliché of the hard-working, successful person: they arrive at work early, look immaculate, always meet deadlines, are never absent from work and, despite having a thousand and one commitments, fulfill them all.

But behind this facade of high performance and productivity is a person who is afraid of failure, of disappointing the people in her family and work environment, especially those who helped her get the job or who have been supporting her.

She suffers from an extreme nervousness, an almost pathological need to deliver, even if it means taking time away from herself.. In fact, the times when you are not working may be experienced as times when you are wasting time, feeling guilty that you are not making the most of it to get ahead on work.

The advantage of being a high-functioning anxiety person is that you are very productive, but the list of disadvantages overrides the pros. These people worry a lot about looking good for everyone, may talk too much, suffer from nervous tics, overthink things, and waste a lot of time getting to work or commitments too early. In addition, they tend to need reassurance in everything they do, putting themselves in the worst-case scenario if they feel they are not living up to what they believe people expect of them, unable to enjoy the moment, and unable to get the most out of the moment.They are unable to enjoy the moment and suffer from sleep problems.

People with high-functioning anxiety can suffer greatly in their personal lives because they are unable to stop the machine, get some rest and enjoy their lives even though they are exhausted. When with family and friends, whether at a get-together, trying to enjoy the outdoors or playing at the beach, they can't stop their head from being somewhere else, thinking about pending tasks, work obligations, how much is left to deliver on a project or to write a report.

Those who exhibit this peculiar type of anxiety may well be labeled as "perfectionists" and be seen as individuals who tend to be naturally stressed, people with a lot of neuroticism. Because they emanate an image of success, the minute they complain and worry about their mental health, their environment may tell them that they are too exaggerated, even dramatic, and that, since they are working well, "what's the problem?

Functional at the beginning, disorder at the end

Highly functional anxiety is not a psychological disorder.. While being highly effective in the work environment can be seen as a desired advantage, that this involves doing so at the expense of family life, social and leisure makes the person with this type of anxiety is deprived of meaningful experiences with family, friends and other significant people in their environment.

We may accept that we are like this, that having anxiety is a normal part of our lives and that there is little that can be done about it. However, anxiety maintained for a long time and constantly can bring with it more serious problems, such as presenting a genuine anxiety disorder, as well as presenting psychosomatic symptoms such as gastrointestinal, dermatological, Cardiovascular problems...

Being very efficient in our job is all very well, but if this leads to psychological discomfort if this means psychological discomfort and does not allow us to enjoy life, then we are facing a problem that most likely requires psychological help. that most likely requires psychological help. Seeing a psychologist for this should not be seen as an exaggeration or a symptom of weakness, but as a way of learning to better manage anxiety which, if left to run wild, can play a dirty trick on us.

It is important to understand that our value as a person will not be found in a list of tasks performed in our job, nor that our self-esteem and self-fulfillment depend exclusively on the pressure we are under at work. The physical and mental health are very important aspects to take care of, in addition to our family and friends, spheres of our life that will offer us pleasure and that, of being a healthy and functional environment, will work as a protective factor before an anxiety disorder.

What can we do?

Apart from going to a psychologist to make sure that the problem does not go to more, there are several small changes that we can incorporate in our day to day that will serve us to reduce the highly functional anxiety at the same time that we continue being functional people in our work.

1. Learn to say "no" at work.

Yes to this, yes to that, yes to the other... this type of phrase is very common in people with high-functioning anxiety, who accept all reports, projects, meetings and other work tasks that their boss or another colleague asks them to do. accept all reports, projects, meetings, and other work tasks that their boss or another colleague asks them to do..

The time has come to say no. It is time to set limits, looking at how we feel when we are asked if we can kindly do such and such a project or report. It is true that it is hard to say "no" to a boss, but if what he or she asks us to do is outside our duties, we should leave it to someone else, or at least leave it for later.

A good way to avoid this overload of work obligations is to change the initial "yes" for "when I get organized, I'll confirm it".This way we do not put that burden on ourselves and if we see that we have a gap, a moment that allows us to do it calmly and without haste, then we take it freely.

2. Write down the break in the agenda

If you are one of those people who tend to work too many hours in a row, a good option to put a "stop" to it is to mark in your own agenda the time for rest or leisure and, of course, respect it..

People with highly functional anxiety tend to respect the tasks that have been noted in the agenda and this, although it is to rest, should also be seen as one more to fulfill. By writing it down you establish a commitment with yourself, leaving time for your care and work rest. It is highly recommended to leave a full day a week to rest.

3. Move your body

Doing physical exercise is fundamental for our physical and mental health, but sometimes we don't have time for it. The feeling of not having time for anything is common in people with high-functioning anxiety, so an alternative to conventional exercise is stretching.

With as little as 15 minutes of stretching, with mindful breathing and followed by a few minutes of walking or gentle physical activity you can combat the feeling of anxiety.

If on the other hand we have more time or we are motivated to do more intense exercise, go ahead, all physical activity helps to calm the mind and, therefore, takes away a little anxiety.

4. Disconnect to connect with yourself

When we think of a person who is very attentive to his work, we think of an individual who is constantly checking his email, chat messages or looking to see if he has received a call. Even if it's break time, having devices on does not allow people with high-functioning anxiety to forget about work, which is all the more reason to decide to turn them all off and truly disconnect.This is more than enough reason to decide to turn them all off and truly disconnect.

At the end of the day, at the end of work or at break time, put down the cell phone, computer, tablet and any device and take the time to engage in some enjoyable habit. Whether it is reading, listening to music, meditating, doing macramé or whatever, do it without your cell phone connected. Disconnect to connect with yourself.