Do I Have High-Functioning Anxiety or Am I In A Hellscape?

You’re the one people turn to when things fall apart. Reliable. Capable. Always two steps ahead.

No one sees the overthinking behind your decisions. No one notices the way your jaw clenches at night or how your stomach sinks when your phone buzzes. They just see results.

High-functioning anxiety hides in plain sight. Especially among women. Especially among people of color. Especially among those who were raised to prove their worth through performance.

You’re praised for being “on it,” for juggling more than most. But beneath the surface, you are constantly calculating, planning, anticipating. You are doing mental gymnastics to make sure nothing cracks—even when you're the one quietly falling apart.

Here are some signs that high-functioning anxiety might be running the show:

• You replay conversations long after they’ve ended

• You say yes to things that drain you because you don’t want to disappoint anyone

• You struggle to celebrate your wins because the next task is already waiting

• You overprepare for meetings, texts, emails ... just in case

• You can’t rest without guilt

• You don’t ask for help because you're not sure anyone will show up

Many people miss these signs because they are conditioned to value your output, not your well-being. You’ve been socialized to be the strong one, the organized one, the fixer. So you keep going. Even when it hurts.

But here's the truth many professionals won’t say out loud:

Sometimes what we call “anxiety” is actually a survival response to racism, sexism, queerphobia, classism, or some combination of all of them. It is easier and safer to say “I have anxiety” than to say “I am navigating a hellscape of oppressive systems and inherited self-neglect.”

If this is you, know that you are not broken. You’ve adapted to stay safe. You’ve mastered performing composure in environments that never fully held you.

Therapy can help you pause long enough to notice what you’ve been overriding. It can offer space that is not about proving, performing, or holding it all together. It is not about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reclaiming what’s been buried under pressure and perfection.

If you see yourself in these words, you’re not imagining it. You’ve just learned how to cope in a world that hasn’t learned how to see you.

About the Author

Shauntis Bussey is a licensed therapist and the founder of Therapeutic Rebel, a boutique therapy practice dedicated to helping individuals break free from burnout, systemic oppression, and limiting beliefs