Anxiety is not something we should overlook and yet it is overlooked all the time. Most people do not understand it or the effects it has on those suffering from it.
If you do not have anxiety but someone you know does learning the following will do you some good. While some of these things may come off as rude or lazy to a person without anxiety, to someone with anxiety this is just everyday life. Sure, you may know what it feels like the be anxious, but you do not know what it feels like to have anxiety.
Below you will find a list of things lots of people do because of their high functioning anxiety that other people do not realize is even related.
1. You are too exhausted to get out of bed
Anxiety is more than capable of wiping out your energy, both physically and mentally. When this happens sometimes you might not even be able to get out of bed.
2. You compare yourself to others
Whether you want to do this or not you do; your anxiety makes you over criticize yourself and put yourself down in many ways. If someone your age is more successful than you, it will make you worry that you will never reach their level. A normal person may see this as being jealous, but I assure you it is fear and anxiety in one of its truest forms.
3. You obsess over your mistakes
You are way too hard on yourself. The mistake will haunt you long after it has been made and even before it has been made in some cases. You strive to be perfect and do everything as to the dot as you can, but sometimes you are just not good enough. We all make mistakes but accepting them is much harder for someone with anxiety.
4. You blame yourself for delayed responses
If you text someone and they do not reply right away you obsess over it and make yourself feel terrible. You think about what you said, how you said it, and where you went wrong over and over again. You rarely stop to think that the other person may just be busy.
5. When someone shows concern for you in some way you obsess over what they said
If someone notices something about you and makes you aware of it, you will become all the more nervous. Now that you know something is noticeable you feel much worse than before. For instance, if someone says ‘you sure do look tired today’ your mind will never let you hear the end of it.
6. The thought of your future terrifies you
No really, it terrifies you. While normal people look forward to their future you are trying to do your best in the here and now. The future is intimidating and could prove to be much worse somehow.
7. You replay conversations in your head constantly
No matter how the conversation went you will always feel like it could have been better. You will have to remind yourself over and over again that you did fine and that you cannot change what you said in the first place.
8. You obsess over the worst possible scenario
Rather than enjoying life and being happy you replay the worst possible outcomes in your head over and over again. This essentially convinces your mind that the worst thing is going to happen, while you will feel relieved when it doesn’t that will never stop you from worrying the next time.
9. You decline invites whether you want to go or not
Even if you want to go somewhere if your anxiety is too much that day you can’t. Sometimes you may even lack the energy to leave your bed. This is something you are aware of and for the most part, you avoid making plans, to begin with, so that you do not have to cancel them later.
10. You keep your eyes glued to your cell phone in public
You don’t do this because you are obsessed with technology you do this so you won’t have to look at strangers. Looking at your phone makes you feel better than obsessing over whether someone is staring and judging you or not.
11. You are late a lot
This is not because you are being rude, sometimes it just takes a few extra minutes to prepare yourself or convince yourself that you shouldn’t back out entirely.
12. You rush conversations with strangers
This is not because you do not want to talk to them, it is because you don’t know how to talk to them. You say the bare minimum and try your best, but most of the time you still come off as rude.
13. You have trouble making phone calls
People think you hate talking on the phone, but really if you weren’t so nervous you wouldn’t mind it. For someone with high functioning anxiety talking on the phone can ruin their whole day.
14. You yawn a lot
This is not a way of letting others know you are tired but a means of making sure you take those deep breaths without being noticed.
15. You go to bed late just to wake up early
Sleeping is hard, your mind will not let you shut down at night and in the morning it jumps right up ready to bother you some more.
Just because you can’t see the illness physically does not mean it isn’t there. People with anxiety are not being rude and they are not lazy, they are sick and dealing with something you do not understand. Please stop judging and take the time to learn more about mental health and all of the illnesses that someone can be dealing with on the inside.