Anxiety is a natural emotion that manifests from time to time in everyone throughout life when faced with stress or nervousness. However, there are around a few million people who experience anxiety beyond the typical occurrences. Anxiety can often be debilitating due to extreme worry or fear. Having an anxiety disorder is an all-encompassing term but can be broken down into specific psychiatric disorders.

If you live in extreme worry or fear that has negatively impacted your life, you may be living with an anxiety disorder. The best way to gain the tools to manage symptoms of anxiety is to be involved with an anxiety treatment program like the one we offer at Washington-based Bayview Recovery. Furthermore, you or a loved one may have been using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate their feelings of anxiousness. If so, a dual diagnosis treatment program can address your addiction and anxiety so that healing may take place wholly, achieving long-lasting results. If you have any questions about our anxiety treatment program, please call today at 855.478.3650 or visit us online. Help and hope are available to you. Reach out now to take the first steps in healing!

What Is High Functioning Anxiety?

One type of anxiety disorder that is not an official psychiatric disorder is high functioning anxiety. It’s not recognized as a psychiatric disorder because it does not share the same traits as other anxiety disorders. People who fall into the category of “high functioning” typically endure internal panic attacks while appearing fine on the exterior. People usually go undiagnosed because of this and seek treatment later in life, if at all. People who are “high functioning” use their anxiety to drive them instead of letting it freeze them in fear, which is typical in other types of anxiety disorders. There are some inward and outward characteristics that occur in a person who experiences high functioning anxiety, such as:

• Denial
• Proactive in the workplace
• Appearing level-headed
• Positive
• Worry-free
• Overachiever
• Perfectionist
• Shortness of breath
• Insomnia
• Flustered thoughts
• Muscle tension
• Shaking
• Nausea
• Increased heart rate

These symptoms vary but can be severe if you do not address them. Health issues that persist without resolution could decrease life expectancy.

Types of Anxiety

The main symptom of anxiety disorders is excessive worry or fear. The specific symptoms depend on which type of anxiety disorder you have. Types of anxiety disorders include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder — Excessive, unrealistic tension and worry with little to no reason
• Social anxiety disorder — Overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder — Characterized by unwanted, recurrent thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions)
• Panic disorder — Unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms such as chest pain or heart palpitations
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — An anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying and traumatic event

With proper treatment and care, you can learn how to manage your symptoms. Bayview Recovery offers a variety of mental health treatment programs that can give you the tools to not only manage your symptoms of anxiety but to thrive in life. Typically, a form of therapy works best to equip you with the tools necessary to manage your anxiety. Licensed therapists will listen to your thoughts and feelings, then provide positive coping strategies to help you understand and manage your anxiety disorder.

Learn More at Bayview Recovery

It can be challenging living with an anxiety disorder. The constant worry may make you feel tired and unable to perform your best throughout life. The first step in letting go of the anxiety is to call one of our compassionate staff members at Bayview Recovery today at 855.478.3650.