High functioning anxiety treatment is your key to improving confidence, productivity, and overall mood.
You are a high achiever. Others around you think that your performance and work ethic is great.
Despite your high achievement, no matter how hard you work, your anxious brain tells you that it is not good enough, you are not enough, and other thoughts that make you doubt yourself.
And that’s stressful. And discouraging.
No matter your success, it is never enough to quiet the anxious mind and to feel confident in yourself.
If this sounds like you, you may be struggling with high functioning anxiety. Although people with high functioning anxiety appear confident and productive on the outside, they are often struggling internally with high levels of anxiety, sleep issues, and self-doubt.
The good news is, you do not need to struggle with high functioning anxiety anymore.
Imagine a life in which you wake up well-rested, energetic, and confident to take on your day. A life in which you are a high achiever without the self-doubt and criticism that gets in your way. A clear, focused, and sharp mind.
When you treat high functioning anxiety, this can be you.
That’s right, high functioning anxiety is highly treatable with a comprehensive approach that helps you take back your life and accomplish everything you have been dreaming about for so long.
High Functioning Anxiety Treatment: What Does It Address?
High functioning anxiety refers to an individual who accomplishes what they need to do and is generally functioning, but does so with a high level of anxiety that often negatively impacts their physical, emotional, and cognitive health.
On the outside, this person will look very successful and productive. While most people with high functioning anxiety are very successful and productive, they tend to accomplish things with a high level of anxiety that often interferes with their concentration, sleep, energy, and confidence.
Many people with high functioning anxiety struggle internally with self-doubt, fear of failure, and prioritizing themselves and their self-care.
Because many people struggle silently and appear to be doing just fine, people with high functioning anxiety often do not get help that could really benefit them.
Because high functioning anxiety activates the stress response in the body and also activates negative and unhelpful thinking in the mind, treatment focused on both of these areas can be very helpful.
Calming the Nervous System as a High Functioning Anxiety Treatment
When the stress response is activated by stress and anxiety, a series of physiological changes occur, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, muscle tension, digestive issues, and cognitive changes.
As you can imagine and have probably experienced, trying to work when your body is activated, you are having tummy troubles or headaches, or you are distracted, is very difficult.
Therefore, learning to calm the nervous system is an important part of treating high functioning anxiety.
Here are helpful ways to accomplish that:
Deep Relaxation
One of the best ways to calm the nervous system is with deep relaxation. This includes exercises like deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation that can train the body to be calmer and more relaxed.
Improving Sleep
Poor sleep can release cortisol, the stress hormone, further increasing stress and anxiety.
High stress and anxiety also negatively impact sleep. Therefore, working to improve sleep quality and quantity can help decrease stress, improve energy, and enhance confidence.
Exercise
One of the best ways to train the nervous system and induce a sense of calm in the body and mind is exercise.
Exercise helps decrease muscle tension and stress, releases endorphins (the body’s happy chemicals), and improves sleep. Therefore, incorporating regular exercise is one of the best ways to treat anxiety overall and improve self-esteem and confidence.
Calm the Anxious Mind to Treat High Functioning Anxiety
Because a large characteristic of high functioning anxiety is unhelpful thinking about yourself, your abilities, and your accomplishments, learning to address unhelpful thinking is crucial.
First, identify the thoughts that come up for you when you are feeling anxious. These are likely related to themes of self-doubt about yourself, your abilities, and what others are thinking of you.
Most people have a series of repetitive thoughts, so once you start paying attention to these repetitive thoughts, you will be in a much better place to recognize them.
Once you have recognized them, question the thoughts for accuracy. Look for information contradicting the thoughts or more neutral and helpful thoughts to replace the unhelpful, anxious thoughts.
Summary
High functioning anxiety is highly treatable. Addressing it from a comprehensive approach that focuses on calming the nervous system, lifestyle factors that reduce anxiety, and addressing unhelpful thinking can help you overcome high functioning anxiety.
Get ready to step into the most confident and efficient version of yourself.
Need help addressing high functioning anxiety getting in your way? My Master Stress Method will give you all the tools to tackle high functioning anxiety, once and for all.
I can’t wait to see you step into the best and most efficient version of yourself. Book a discovery call so we can talk about how to do that.
-----About Dr. Julia
Hi! I'm Dr. Julia. Health psychologist, stress and sleep expert, and creator of the Master Stress Method.
I have worked with thousands of individuals in major hospitals, university medical centers, and primary care settings to improve their stress levels, sleep, and overall emotional and physical well being.
My current focus is helping busy professionals prevent and manage the high stress that is getting in the way of their productivity, mood, sleep, and their ability to reach their full potential.
My Master Stress Method has helped hundreds of stressed out, overwhelmed, and burned out clients significantly reduce their stress and anxiety, improve their sleep, and maximize their productivity, fast.
I can't wait to help you stop the struggle with stress, for good. Let's chat :)