Specialties:
High-Functioning Anxiety
Online Therapy for High-Functioning Anxiety in Maryland
If you are someone who appears calm and collected on the outside but feels tense, restless, or overwhelmed on the inside, you may be experiencing high-functioning anxiety. You get tasks done, meet expectations, and often excel in your work or personal life, yet your mind rarely feels at rest. Worries, “what if” scenarios, and self-criticism can quietly take over, making it hard to fully enjoy your achievements or feel at ease.
High-functioning anxiety can be exhausting because it is easy to overlook. Others may not see the effort it takes to maintain control, and you may feel pressure to keep performing while struggling internally. You might notice racing thoughts, tension in your body, or difficulty sleeping despite appearing composed to those around you.
Support can help you manage the inner pressure without sacrificing your strengths. Together, we identify patterns that fuel your anxiety, explore tools to respond rather than react, and build strategies to help you feel calmer, more focused, and more connected to your life and goals.
FAQ’s About High-Functioning Anxiety
High-Functioning Anxiety
High-functioning anxiety shows up when you appear calm, capable, and accomplished on the outside, but inside your mind and body are constantly on alert. You may complete projects, meet deadlines, and handle responsibilities, yet feel restless, tense, or mentally overloaded. It’s the type of anxiety that quietly drives performance while quietly draining energy.
How It Shows Up In Real Life
People experience high-functioning anxiety in ways that often go unnoticed. Some common patterns include:
Constant alertness
Feeling like you can’t fully relax. Racing thoughts about what might go wrong. A sense of needing to stay prepared at all times.
Perfection and overthinking
Repeating tasks to make sure they are “just right.” Reviewing decisions again and again. Wondering if you could have done better even after finishing.
Emotional weight
Irritability over small things. Guilt for taking breaks. Feeling proud of accomplishments but struggling to feel satisfied.
Daily routines
Overworking to compensate for fear of falling behind. Avoiding help even when it’s needed. Filling every moment with activity to quiet your mind.
If these experiences sound familiar, you are not alone. High-functioning anxiety can look like success to others, but feel like pressure or exhaustion to you.
Why It Happens
High-functioning anxiety often develops as a response to early experiences, expectations, or environments that valued productivity, perfection, or responsibility. Your nervous system learned to stay alert and push forward as a way to stay safe or feel in control. Over time, that strategy can turn into constant tension and worry, even when the original threat is gone.
How We Treat High-Functioning Anxiety Together
Therapy focuses on helping you manage anxiety while maintaining your strengths and drive. Together we:
Recognize patterns
Notice the habits, thoughts, and reactions that keep you in high alert.
Regulate your nervous system
Learn strategies to slow racing thoughts, release tension, and find calm in daily life.
Balance expectations
Separate realistic goals from unnecessary pressure or fear of failure.
Strengthen self-confidence
Build a steadier sense of worth that is not tied to productivity or perfection.
Create sustainable routines
Learn ways to work, rest, and plan that reduce overwhelm and allow space for clarity and energy.
The goal is to help you feel capable and accomplished without living in constant stress. High-functioning anxiety does not need to control your life. With support, you can maintain your drive while feeling steadier, calmer, and more present.