Many anxiety warriors fall into the world of high functioning anxiety. What exactly is high functioning anxiety? Simply put, high functioning anxiety is an overly anxious person who still can live their day to day life without showing overly anxious behaviors, but still feel anxious most of the day.

So used to the sensations they become second nature

If you live daily with high functioning anxiety, you likely have been dealing with your anxious self for many years. A consequence of not addressing your core anxiety concerns is that your body builds up a tolerance for the constant stimulation to the point where you may not even know what being relaxed feels like. Being unable to disconnect from the sensations associated with anxiety can be difficult but for many of you an anxious state is just how you assume life is for nearly everyone. Living with high functioning anxiety can disrupt your sleep, relationships and sense of happiness. The good news is that to endure years of an over stimulated system, you must be a strong person. Your strength can guide you to a new dimension of life…true inner peace and acceptance.

Advantages and disadvantages of high functioning anxiety

Most people would not be able to identify someone who struggles with high functioning anxiety. On the surface a highly functional anxious person appears to be well adjusted, performs well at work and has a great social circle. What many don’t see is the demon lurking beneath the smile and the ache behind each laugh.

Advantages

• Ability to plan very meticulously (HFA people constantly plan for every potential threat as a daily practice)
  
• Generally more empathetic and emotionally intelligent (we understand more emotions because we experience almost all the emotions on a daily basis)
  
• Success in chosen careers (too afraid to fail)

Disadvantages

• Perpetual People Pleaser – Always feeling the need to make sure other people are happy
  
• Mental, emotional and physical fatigue (our body is constantly nearly redlining but we are good at managing)
  
• Constantly living in the future or the past never in the moment

Living with HFA does not have to be your normal. Although you are very good at living with anxiety you can work towards ensuring the REAL you is at the helm and not your anxious self. When we let our anxious self control us, we fall into many traps that anxiety lures us into to ensure that at some level we feel safe and secure. Constantly helping others can make us feel better for a moment, but there is no summit to the compassion mountain. There will always be an area where you feel like you are coming up short when it comes to helping others. This is where you must learn to help yourself first.

HFA is a habit and you can create new habits

Although living with an overly anxious mind can seem normal to you there is a better normal that you can create. In this differently normal world you will feel more at ease most days and have a greater awareness of your purpose in life. Instead of having to “fake” certain interactions with people you can be your true authentic self and experience amazingly positive and uplifting connections with yourself and others.

Working to build these new calming habits will take a lot of time and dedication but the payoff is well worth the effort. The first step you need to take when wanting to heal from your HFA for good is to accept that the fears are impacting your relationships. It may not seem like HFA has that much of an impact because you are constantly helping, however since you are not connected to your true warrior self no one is experiencing you, only the you that can show them through the fear.

Daily meditation is a great place to start. As you observe more of your anxious thoughts you can work towards challenging those thoughts and overcoming them.

You need to focus on you for a while

I totally understand the need to help others. The issue that comes with HFA is that we spend so much time focused on others that our own anxious habits take over and we are blind to the need for our own healing. Take some time to get to know yourself better. Go for a hike by yourself. Sit and reflect on why you would rather take care of others more than you want to take care of yourself. It may seem selfish at first, but if you can master your HFA you will become a much more powerful person who can then help in an even greater degree than you could while under anxiety’s leadership.