You pride yourself on your productivity and are vigilant about meeting work deadlines. You always show up for your friends at social gatherings, and even keep up with hobbies. On the outside you appear organized and successful, while on the inside you are feeling overly worried and stressed .
Experts call this high-functioning anxiety—when the constant hustle masks symptoms of generalized anxiety. While not an official diagnosis under the DSM-5, the classification of mental health disorders, high-functioning anxiety refers to a more subtle and less obvious form of anxiety. You may have heard the phrase used to describe people who function at a high level despite having anxiety symptoms.
People with high-functioning anxiety are typically high-achievers, perfectionists, and “type A,” whose symptoms of generalized anxiety are less visible and, therefore, harder to treat. “They might still excel in their careers, have many friends, and have strong relationships,” says Dr. Neha Chaudhary, child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the chief medical officer at Modern Health .
“But inside, they might be struggling with common symptoms of anxiety like restlessness, excessive worrying, trouble sleeping, or fatigue.” People with high-functioning anxiety may cope by engaging in behavior that makes them appear more productive or accomplished. “The same personality traits that drive individuals to perform at t.
