After a long stressful day of overworking myself and getting all the things done that I needed, all I want to do is lay in bed and get the rest that my mind and body desperately need, but I can’t get these racing thoughts out of my mind. I try reading a book and even counting sheep, but nothing seems to work.

You may think you’re suffering with depression because you’re burnt out on work, exhausted all the time, or feel like you’re stuck in a rut. These are all common feelings associated with depression but what you might not know is that these symptoms could actually be indicating something completely different, like high functioning anxiety (HFA).

A majority of us have experienced some form of trauma (whether Big T or little t) in our lives, whether we realize it or not. So what does that mean for those of us who have experienced trauma and how does trauma affect a person?

For years, venting has been something pop psychology told us is good for us. Talk about your problems, get it out, don’t let them fester. But all the empathy in the world won’t make us feel better if we aren’t empathetic to ourselves.

That is one of the hardest parts about High Functioning Anxiety; the negative spirals are so normalized I don’t always notice them before I am down a dark rabbit hole

I have received this question multiple times over the past couple of months. There are two answers to that question: the practical strategy to quiet anxiety and why those strategies are so hard.

In times of stress, maybe you start doubting yourself, taking on too much, procrastinating or letting your emotions get the best of you. These are common behaviors of someone who deals with high levels of anxiety and self sabotage.

If you struggle with high functioning anxiety, you’re probably wondering if it’s something you picked up from your burnt out relatives, or something you learned over time.

If you’re someone who experiences these Type-A tendencies, you may feel like you don’t struggle with anxiety. That’s because Generalized Anxiety Disorder is different from HFA, so many of us believe that we don’t suffer from anxiety.

Even as a high functioning anxiety coach, I still have to make efforts to get my sleep anxiety under control. I’ve been prone to get the “4 am visitor,” as I like to call it, all too often, and it can be brutal.

For people with High Functioning Anxiety, denying stress is a way of life. We pride ourselves on being able to handle stressful situations. The reason I talk about “soldiering on” and “suck it up, buttercup” is whenever I have a stressful event, those are my default phrases.

My anxiety has been high this past week. I know that the best way todeal with anxiety is to get out of my head into my body, allow the feelings, and be kind to myself. But that is not what I have been doing.

Because they live in their heads, people with HFA are great at figuring out the why of a scenario. They LOVE analyzing why they do a particular behavior

If you struggle with anxiety, one of the hardest things to do is relax. Sitting still is so painful you would rather put toothpicks under your fingernails. The minute you sit still, you become overrun with THOUGHTS, lots and lots of thoughts.

If someone gives us a backhanded compliment, says something disrespectful, treats us rudely, or just acts out, we usually think we did something wrong. We assume they are mad at us or that we deserved whatever slight just came along, and we get angry, defensive, or sad.

We tell ourselves that we are obsessing to become better people, to learn and grow. Obsessing; it never ends well for you. You always end up losing. The more we obsess, the more fodder we are giving for our Monger.

We try so hard to keep our lids on. Stay in control; keep it all together and do everything right. So from the outside, our lives look perfect, solid, sturdy, and well put together. But on the inside, our lives are full of pressure, steam, and anxiety.

Worry, Worry, Worry. That is the theme of life these days. We regularly engage in the process of hammering ourselves into submission. We are never quite productive enough, quite successful enough, quite healthy enough, or just quite enough, period. We are constantly striving to be better--for what?!?!