This post contains some of the best high functioning anxiety quotes.
What Is High Functioning Anxiety?
High functioning anxiety is a term used to describe individuals who experience symptoms of anxiety, but are able to maintain a high level of functionality in their daily lives.
These individuals may appear calm, successful, and in control on the outside, while on the inside they struggle with intense worry, perfectionism, self-doubt, and a constant need for reassurance.
People with high functioning anxiety often have a strong desire to please others and fear failure or making mistakes.
They may become overwhelmed by even small tasks or decisions, constantly anticipating the worst outcome and feeling a sense of urgency or pressure.
Despite their anxiety, they are often high achievers who excel in various areas of their lives, such as work, school, or relationships.
It’s important to note that high functioning anxiety is not officially recognized as a clinical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Instead, it falls under the broader category of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or social anxiety disorder (SAD).
If you or someone you know is experiencing high functioning anxiety, it is recommended to seek professional help from a mental health practitioner for evaluation and appropriate treatment.
High Functioning Anxiety Quotes
1. “There’s a big difference between anxiety and that kind of stress, and most people don’t understand how all-consuming anxiety can be.”- Barry McDonagh
2. “Whereas worries take place in the mind, anxiety occurs in the body. Anxiety is the general name for a varied number of physical sensations that people experience when they’re in danger or feel threatened in some way.” – Melisa Robichaud & Michel J. Dugas
3. “So anxiety really only tells you that you might be in danger. As with smoke detectors, it’s a good idea to investigate further to see whether there’s a real danger or it’s just a false alarm.” – Melisa Robichaud & Michel J. Dugas
Related: Top 10 Practical CBT Exercises For Generalized Anxiety Disorder Relief
4. “You can feel anxious when you’re in danger, but you can also feel anxious when you think you’re in danger but actually aren’t. So anxiety really only tells you that you might be in danger.” – Melisa Robichaud & Michel J. Dugas
5. “People who don’t understand can often lose patience. They might say things like, “Come on, pull yourself together!” or “Just snap out of it!””- Barry McDonagh
6. “When you’re anxious, your mind automatically starts to selectively shift its attention toward threats. For example, if you’re walking down a dark street at night and aren’t feeling safe, you’ll immediately be more aware of potential signs of danger, such as alleyways or dark corridors where someone could be lurking.” -Melisa Robichaud & Michel J. Dugas
7. “People who suffer from anxiety may develop phobias about driving, flying, or being in enclosed spaces (with no easy exit) or crowded spaces. The list is really quite long. It can include fear of not having a safe person with you, fear of being anywhere out of your safe zone, etc. There’s a clinical phobia term for almost every situation you can imagine.”- Barry McDonagh
8. “When you’re anxious, you’re more likely to tense your muscles, which in this case translates into raising your shoulders or tightening your jaw muscles. If you’ve been doing this throughout the day for several months, it wouldn’t be surprising if you had physical discomfort due to muscle tension.” – Melisa Robichaud & Michel J. Dugas
Related: 30 Day Social Anxiety Challenge That Will Help You Feel More Confident
9. “A good habit to get into is to notice whenever you feel anxious and then ask yourself, “What am I worrying about right now?” – Melisa Robichaud & Michel J. Dugas
10. “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
11. “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ― Corrie Ten Boom
12. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ― Amit Ray
13. “Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems” ― Epictetus
14. “Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” ― C. H. Spurgeon
Related: How To Overcome Agoraphobia Without Medication? 9-Step Guide To Control Panic Attack In Public
15. “I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.” ― Steve Maraboli
16. “Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.” ― Dorothy M. Neddermeyer
17. “Feelings don’t try to kill you, even the painful ones. Anxiety is a feeling grown too large. A feeling grown aggressive and dangerous. You’re responsible for its consequences, you’re responsible for treating it. But…you’re not responsible for causing it. You’re not morally at fault for it. No more than you would be for a tumor.” ― Patrick Ness
18. “In an era of stress and anxiety, when the present seems unstable and the future unlikely, the natural response is to retreat and withdraw from reality, taking recourse either in fantasies of the future or in modified visions of a half-imagined past.” ― Alan Moore
19. “Chronic anxiety is a state more undesirable than any other, and we will try almost any maneuver to eliminate it. Modern man is living in anxious anticipation of destruction. Such anxiety can be easily eliminated by self-destruction. As a German saying puts it: ‘Better an end with terror than a terror without end.” ― Robert E. Neale
20. “in my experience, the words “now just calm down” almost inevitably have the opposite effect on the person you are speaking to.” ― Elyn R. Saks
21. “Temperamentally anxious people can have a hard time staying motivated, period, because their intense focus on their worries distracts them from their goals.” ― Winifred Gallagher
Related: High Functioning Anxiety Test (& How To Support Anxiety Recovery)
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