Best Strategies For Working With High-Functioning Anxiety That Actually Help
It’s weird how I can look totally fine at work, handle meetings, hit deadlines, and still feel like my chest is wrapped in invisible wires. That’s the tricky part about high-functioning anxiety—on the outside, everything seems under control. Inside? It’s chaos. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably become a pro at masking it. But let’s be honest, “coping” isn’t the same as “thriving.” I learned that the hard way after years of ignoring what my mind and body were trying to tell me. So let’s dive into some real strategies for working with high-functioning anxiety—practical, sustainable ways that helped me feel more in control without burning out.
Understanding What High-Functioning Anxiety Looks Like at Work
High-functioning anxiety doesn’t always scream for attention. Most people with it appear calm, composed, even overachieving. The problem is—it’s driven by internal fear, not passion. That nervous energy? It can push you to excel. But left unchecked, it chips away at your mental health.
Common Workplace Signs You Might Miss
- Over-preparing for meetings, even informal ones
- Obsessing over small mistakes no one else noticed
- Feeling like every email needs to be perfect
- Taking on too much to avoid disappointing others
These aren’t just quirks—they’re red flags. I used to think they were just part of being a “hard worker” until I started feeling exhausted all the time. I later stumbled across this article on why high-functioning anxiety symptoms go unnoticed, and it hit a little too close to home.
Break the Cycle of Overcommitment
People with high-functioning anxiety tend to say “yes” a lot. To extra projects, back-to-back Zooms, team favors… you name it. I didn’t realize it, but over-commitment was my way of distracting myself from the anxious swirl in my brain. And trust me, that kind of avoidance only fuels anxiety further.
Try This:
- Implement a pause rule: Wait at least 10 minutes before agreeing to new tasks. It gives your logical brain time to weigh in before the anxiety-driven autopilot says “sure!”
- Use soft boundaries: Instead of “No, I can’t,” try “That’s not something I have the capacity for right now.” It’s firm but not harsh.
This helped me not only manage my time better but also reduced the guilt that used to follow every “no.”
Leverage Tools to Quiet the Inner Critic
High-functioning anxiety is often fueled by an overactive inner critic. “You’re not doing enough.” “You’re about to mess this up.” Sound familiar? I started using a journaling trick I read about in these journaling prompts for anxiety, and it honestly changed my morning routine.
Simple Daily Reframe Technique:
- Write one task you did well yesterday
- One anxious thought you want to challenge today
- One thing you’re grateful for in your career
It doesn’t cure anxiety, but it softens it—and gives your mind a little space to breathe before the chaos of the workday begins.
Change the Way You Approach Productivity
For a while, I used productivity as a bandage. If I was busy, I didn’t have time to feel anxious, right? But anxiety doesn’t care how full your schedule is—it just gets louder. The key was shifting from productivity for avoidance to productivity for peace.
Productivity Without Pressure:
- Start using a “Top 3” list. Pick just three tasks each day that really matter.
- Build in buffer time between meetings or deep work. I aim for 15–30 minutes of no-input downtime.
- Track energy, not just time. I noticed I’m most anxious mid-afternoon, so I started blocking that time for easier tasks.
This approach is inspired by guidance I found here: how anxiety affects daily productivity. It’s worth reading if your “to-do” list feels like it’s running your life.
Find Grounding Practices That Actually Work (Without Feeling Weird)
Let’s be real—some grounding tips on the internet sound… awkward. I needed strategies that I could actually use during a chaotic workday, without retreating to a mountaintop. What worked?
Real-Life Grounding Ideas for Professionals:
- Five senses trick: Name 1 thing you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste—quietly, in your head. No one even notices.
- Grounding objects: I keep a smooth stone and a textured paperclip in my pocket. They help reset my body when my mind starts spiraling.
- Soft-timer breaks: Every 90 minutes, I set a vibration-only reminder to stretch and breathe for just 2 minutes. It resets my system.
Another great read on this topic is managing anxiety with grounding objects. Totally underrated strategy.
If you’re looking for a broader understanding of how these coping techniques fit into overall anxiety care, check out this lifestyle and self-help guide for anxiety support. It ties in well with everything above. For more on how anxiety quietly shapes daily life behind the scenes, I highly recommend this article on hidden impacts of anxiety.
How to Talk About It Without Feeling Weak
For a long time, I kept my anxiety quiet at work because I didn’t want to seem “fragile.” I mean, how do you tell your manager, “I’m killing it on paper but mentally I’m on fire”? But here’s the thing—honest conversations are a power move, not a weakness.
How I Broached the Subject (Without Oversharing)
- Keep it focused on needs, not symptoms: “I do my best work when I can prep ahead—would it be okay to get agendas in advance?”
- Offer solutions, not just issues: “Sometimes I need short solo recharge time between back-to-back meetings, so I block a 10-min reset on my calendar.”
- Choose the right ally: For me, it wasn’t HR. It was a teammate I trusted who helped normalize the convo in our circle.
There’s a good breakdown on explaining anxiety in different settings. While it’s written more for family, a lot of the principles apply professionally too.
Watch for the Burnout-Anxiety Loop
This was my biggest trap: I’d work through anxiety, push past fatigue, and end up crashing hard. Then I’d feel guilty for being “lazy,” which triggered more anxiety… and around we go. That loop is real—and incredibly common among high-functioners.
What Helped Me Break the Cycle
- Micro-wins, not marathon weeks: I stopped glorifying 12-hour days and started tracking how I felt after each week. If I ended it exhausted, it wasn’t a win.
- Boundary audits every Friday: I ask myself, “What did I say yes to that I should’ve paused on?”
- Low-stimulation recovery days: I started taking one weekend day where I didn’t speak much, didn’t plan anything. Just let my system reset.
Burnout and anxiety often dance together. For more on that, check out this helpful comparison that finally helped me name what was really going on.
Use Your Strengths (But Don’t Let Them Trap You)
One of the trickiest parts of high-functioning anxiety is how it hides behind your strengths. You’re detail-oriented, empathetic, reliable—basically an all-star. But those same traits can also make you a perfectionist, a people-pleaser, or a chronic overthinker.
Reframing What “Strong” Looks Like
- Empathy includes self-empathy. If you’re checking in on everyone else but not yourself, you’re not actually being fair.
- Being reliable ≠ being a yes-machine. Set limits. It doesn’t make you less dependable.
- Perfectionism ≠ excellence. Excellence has limits. Perfectionism has none.
This reframing is something I found echoed in this breakdown of perfectionism’s role in anxiety. I reread it every time I start spiraling over small mistakes.
Use Movement to Disrupt Mental Static
Sometimes I’d get stuck in my head at work—like I couldn’t move forward on anything because I was stuck thinking about everything. Sounds familiar? Movement broke that loop for me. Not workouts. Just movement.
Movement that Works at Work:
- Walk-and-think: I pace while brainstorming—especially before presentations.
- Stretch resets: I do a quick upper-body stretch at my desk and breathe deep—no one notices, but I feel better immediately.
- Change of scenery: Sometimes just switching desks, rooms, or heading outside for 5 minutes interrupts the mental static enough to reset.
This practice pairs well with the ideas in progressive muscle relaxation techniques. It’s less about “fitness,” more about physical interruption of anxious thought spirals.
Anchor Yourself With a Pre-Work Ritual
Morning anxiety used to hit me the second I opened my eyes. If you start the day already flooded with adrenaline, it’s hard to keep things steady. What helped wasn’t some grand morning routine—it was one anchor. One thing I could control.
Ideas That Don’t Involve 5AM Wakeups:
- A specific song while making coffee
- Lighting a candle and writing 2 sentences before opening email
- Reading one quote or affirmation that grounds you (this list of affirmations is my go-to)
That one grounding habit was the domino that helped shift how I approached the rest of the day. Not with control—just with calm.
When It’s Time to Get Support (And What That Actually Means)
I used to think “getting help” meant something was broken. But therapy, coaching, or even a solid anxiety app? Those are tools, not red flags. You wouldn’t try to code with a broken keyboard, right? So why try to function with a totally unsupported mind?
I personally found talk therapy helpful—especially CBT-based approaches. If you’re curious about what those actually look like, this article breaks it down: CBT steps that actually work for anxiety.
For a broader look at available treatment paths—including medical and holistic options—I highly recommend reading through this pillar on psychotherapy for anxiety.
If you’re still not sure where to begin, this deep dive on why anxiety can secretly run the show gave me a whole new lens on how to finally take mine seriously. And that made all the difference.
Camellia Wulansari is a dedicated Medical Assistant at a local clinic and a passionate health writer at Healthusias.com. With years of hands-on experience in patient care and a deep interest in preventive medicine, she bridges the gap between clinical knowledge and accessible health information. Camellia specializes in writing about digestive health, chronic conditions like GERD and hypertension, respiratory issues, and autoimmune diseases, aiming to empower readers with practical, easy-to-understand insights. When she’s not assisting patients or writing, you’ll find her enjoying quiet mornings with coffee and a medical journal in hand—or jamming to her favorite metal band, Lamb of God.
