Anxiety effects countless people, and that is something that not everyone realizes. People with anxiety are often perceived as lazy, or even weak. This is worse for those with high functioning anxiety, because their anxiety is not always obvious, and people see them as just making excuses.
Here are 11 things that will help people spot high functioning anxiety in those that they care about. If you have high functioning anxiety, you are certain to relate to this list.
1. Reject Invitations to Events You Would Love to Attend
Even if you have been looking forward to this event for weeks, when the day comes your anxiety may be so overwhelming that you just can’t work up the energy to go out. This causes you to just start rejecting offers to go out before you have the chance to cancel.
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2. Obsess Over Things That Other People Consider Trivial
A weird glance, an ignored text, or a conversation gone wrong will replay in your head for weeks to come. You start to obsess over it, even though anyone else would fail to notice something so small.
3. Go to Sleep Late, But Wake Up Early
Anxiety keeps your brain working constantly. This makes it difficult to go to sleep, and forces you out of bed the minute your eyes open.
4. The Worst Case Scenario Is The Only One You See
Nothing can be lived in the moment, because your brain is convinced nothing in your life will go right. This means every little headache is a brain tumor, and weird car noises means your engine is going to explode.
5. Conversations Are Constantly On Repeat In Your Head
Your conversation with someone could be nothing but amazing, but you will certainly replay it over and over until you are convinced something you said was wrong.
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6. Concern Makes You Worry More
If anyone shows the slightest concern in your well-being, it sends your anxiety through the roof. That fact that they noticed you are not alright makes you feel worse about yourself.
7. When Someone Doesn’t Reply, It Is Your Fault
If anyone takes a little too long to respond to you it makes you worry about what you may have done wrong. Rather than thinking they are just busy, you believe it was your fault for the end in conversation.
8. The Future Causes a Breakdown
While many people plan excitedly for the future, you are haunted by it. The present affects you so much that it makes the future that much more terrifying.
9. Success Is Something to Be Compared
No matter what you accomplish, your peers always seem to outshine you. It isn’t that you want them to fail, but that you don’t think you will succeed.
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10. Every Mistake Beats You Up
You want to do everything perfectly, and one little mistake will skyrocket your anxiety. No matter how trivial, you will beat yourself up over that mistake for weeks to come.
11. Physical and Mental Exhaustion Drives You to Stay in Bed
Anxiety can consume all of your energy, and when that happens it exhausts you in every way. Due to that, some days all you want is to stay in bed.
No matter how your high functioning anxiety affects you, it is important to try and keep life in perspective. Should you know someone with anxiety, try to remember this list in the future.
