The Impact of High Functioning Anxiety
Dina Subasciaki
Offering workshops, masterclasses and support to employees who have children and teens struggling to attend school due to anxiety. Anxiety Specialist I Mindfulness Teacher I Clinical Hypnotherapist
High functioning anxiety (HFA) is not an officially diagnosable form of anxiety and people experiencing it often go unnoticed in the workplace. It is described as invisible anxiety, but it is not something that should be ignored or something that people should have to live with.
As it is not currently a diagnosable mental health disorder, there is little formal research or information available specific to this type of anxiety, but we know that over 8 million people are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time in the UK (Mental Health UK) and HFA is something individuals often more often identifying with as they experience significant distress but are still “functioning well” in their daily lives. ?
What is HFA?
HFA is a catch all term that refers to people who live with anxiety but identify as functioning reasonably well in different aspects of their life.
When we think about anxiety, or someone experiencing anxiety there is often a vision in your mind of what that looks like but there are many nuances of mental health in general and anxiety specifically that are unknown or unrecognised.
People who live with HFA are having to manage work expectations and a mental illness and this is exhausting for them, causing mental fatigue, persistent feelings of being on edge, muscle tension, headaches, and irritability and in the long run, burn out and long term absences from work or resignation.
On the surface, they appear to be successful, “productive”, together and calm - excelling at work and life, traits often admired in our society.?Pushing yourself, always saying yes, striving to “be the best”, never taking time off, hard working.?So, for people who struggle with HFA and do well in the workplace it often creates cognitive dissonance because it is believed that it helps them achieve and be “the best” BUT, ultimately it is painful and no matter what they achieve, it is never enough, and the anxiety does not go away, and this is why the burn out comes as they become exhausted.
HFA brings with it a level of worry that is overwhelming, a fear of failure, perfectionism, and procrastination (discussed below). Not being able to switch off the mind, can’t ever relax and overthink everything.
How it looks on the outside v's How it feels on the inside
Detail- orientated,?passionate, reliable, organised, high achiever/achieving, proactive, in control, punctual, ambitious, professional, dedicated, always goes above and beyond.
Self-critical, comparing to others, overthinking, fear of failure, sleep issues, striving for perfection (which is unattainable), problem saying no, exhaustion, indecisiveness, need for reassurance/validation, restlessness, frustration, no switching off,?procrastination and an overwhelming fear of letting others and yourself down.
High Functioning Anxiety, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Irritability.
Fear underlies all anxiety, regardless of the type of anxiety experienced. It creates discomfort and so we will unconsciously and consciously try move away from this feeling. Three common symptoms of those experiencing HFA in the workplace that I want to bring awareness to are procrastination, perfectionism and irritability.
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It is often the fear of failure which leads to procrastination. We procrastinate to relieve this discomfort of the anxious thoughts and feelings. In its simplest form, the anxiety causes the freeze response triggered by being overwhelmed and by this fear of failure. The issue with procrastination is the relief is only temporary, it is then replaced with heightened anxiety of not finishing the task, both a cause and consequence of procrastination.
“I never relax, I never stop. Even when I’m procrastinating!!” quote from Jordan Raskopoulos (TED, 2019) explaining how relentless and exhausting HFA can be.
For perfectionism, it is anxiety caused by the fear of rejection. And perfectionism means paralysis. You are expecting perfection in everything you do, you are expecting everything to go exactly as you want it to or the way you think it should be. Marissa Peer often states that the unhappiest and loneliest people are those who are trying to be perfect. It’s like entering a race with no finishing line and whatever you do or don’t do, it’s not good enough.
Irritability is a really tough symptom of HAS especially in the workplace as it can negatively affect workplace relationships. Anxiety stresses the body and taxes the mind, the nervous system becomes hypersensitive due to the stress response being hyper stimulated, which can and often does lead to overly dramatic emotional responses. Patience is much harder than normal, and more and more studies are showing that individuals with anxiety disorders?often express intense and out of proportion anger and aggression. Leaving the anxious person with feelings of excruciating guilt, shame, and embarrassment afterwards.
Solutions
Number one solution is don’t avoid it, HFA can be treated in the same way that other anxiety disorders are treated, including therapy, coaching, mindfulness, prescription medications etc.
It is important to acknowledge that if this is being experienced by a friend or colleague, do not not tell them they don’t or can’t have anxiety because they are so “successful”.
Employers can always work toward reducing the stigma in the workplace, encourage awareness and support with those experiencing anxiety. Actively encouraging people to speak up and seek support will always reduce the impact on the individual, their colleagues and the organisation as a whole.
Reminding your employees, colleagues, and friends that it is not a weakness, and it is not a character flaw. Knowing how to identify this,
Examples could include:
We all have a duty of care for ourselves and for the people around us. It makes for a happier, more productive and safer workplace for all.
Empowering Female Leaders to Heal from Stress, Trauma or Burnout and Reclaim Confidence & Success | Supporting Organisations with Mental Health First Aid, Trauma Informed & Positive Psychology Workshops & Coaching
1 年Great article - it's so important to highlight these issues - I believe that in our current, toxic culture, HFA affects way more people than we realise as most wouldn't recognise this type of Nervous System dysregulation as anxiety, and as it feels so NORMAL, it often doesn't occur to people that there's any other way they could feel.