Recognizing the 7 signs of anxiety in your life

7 signs of an anxiety disorder that suggest you should visit a professional counselor.

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Our Inner Voice Impacts to Mental Health

The Inner Voice from within….

We all have an inner voice, one that speaks to us throughout the day and helps to guide many of our decisions and behaviors. Sometimes this voice is kind and at times it is critical. This voice offers sound advice one moment and then tells us we are unworthy the next. For many people, the challenge is learning to decipher the negative self-talk that goes on in their head and to correct it with truth. This can be especially difficult to do, however, when one lacks awareness and has become accustomed to a self-critical and limiting narrative. Fortunately, it is possible to correct this chatterbox and to develop an inner voice that maintains a healthy, well-balanced perspective.

When it comes to self-talk or our inner narrative, it is helpful to think of the tone. When we read literature, for example, the narrator of the story has a certain tone, which may come from a variety of vantage points. Whether told in first- or third-person, the narrator’s voice is one of authority and frames the events and perspectives of the story. Your inner voice has the same role in that it is constantly narrating the events, interactions, and decisions of your daily life. This voice is developed in early childhood and may take many tones throughout the lifespan. For those who grew up in loving, nurturing homes, for instance, the tone of this voice may be patient or flexible. For those who have endured abuse or trauma, on the other hand, this voice may be one of self-doubt and perfectionism.

There are some helpful questions to ask yourself when first learning to distinguish the tone and vantage point of your inner voice. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Is the voice (or self-talk) recurring?
• Is this my voice talking or the voice of someone I know?
• Is this voice building me up or putting me down?
• Is the voice coming from a place of fear or possibility?
• Would I talk to someone I love or care about in this tone?
• Is my narrative balanced or one-sided?
• Is my self-talk based upon experience or “what-if” scenarios?

Sometimes it is helpful to journal the self-talk you engage in to begin identifying themes and tones. Unfortunately, many people are so accustomed to the negative narrative they tell themselves that they have never questioned it and do not realize it may not be accurate. Journaling these thoughts serves as a type of mirror to help build your awareness and to address thoughts that need changing. Talking to a trusted friend or family member can also be helpful so long as this person is someone who can remain relatively objective and provide loving and honest feedback. Finally, working with a therapist can also be instrumental in teaching you to identify thoughts that need adjustment, learn skills of reframing and rewriting your narrative, and develop healthy coping mechanisms to deal with daily stressors, anxiety, and depression.

Amending your self-talk isn’t just about saying nice things to yourself, although that is certainly part of it. And, it isn’t saying things that are unrealistic, a Pollyana syndrome of sorts. Rather, it is more about choosing the way in which you frame thoughts, behaviors, interactions with others, and life events. It also often includes speaking truths to yourself that you might not yet believe, such as “I am beautiful, capable, a good mom/dad, worthy, loveable, intelligent, empowered,” etc. We can choose to engage in self-talk that fuels the voice of shame in our head or we can recognize that voice, call it out, reframe it, and rewrite the narrative it speaks.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy are two modalities that help to address the process described in this article. If you would like to learn more about these options and connect with a therapist who is trained in one of these approaches, please contact us. We look forward to serving you!

Written by Sarah Groff, LCHMC

Sarah has been part of the Miracles Counseling Centers team for over 5 years and treats adolescents through adults on issues of marriage and divorce, blending families, depression, anxiety, and adjustment to issues specific to teens and young adults. She is presently pursuing her PhD in Developmental Psychology at Liberty University. 

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What does high functioning anxiety or depression look like?

You may have heard people around you using the term “high-functioning” to describe themselves and their mental health. Phrases such as high-functioning anxiety and high-functioning depression are being used more and more, but what do they mean?

High-functioning anxiety and depression are not technically clinical diagnoses because they are not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a handbook used by mental health professionals. However, many practitioners and researchers recognize that people can experience symptoms of anxiety or depression and continue to be highly functioning, productive individuals. Those who have high functioning anxiety or depression may not appear to struggle with it on the surface, despite experiencing symptoms internally. To others, they may seem to have it all together or go about their days as they normally would.

What Does High-Functioning Anxiety Look Like?

People with high-functioning anxiety may experience symptoms of anxiety disorders, such as excessive worrying most days, feelings of restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or trouble sleeping. However, these symptoms do not cause significant problems across areas of their lives and do not inhibit daily functioning. Some common characteristics of individuals with high-functioning anxiety include:

• High-achieving, with a fear of failure
• Extremely organized & detail-oriented
• Engages in nervous habits, such as nail-biting, hair twirling, lip biting, leg shaking, etc.
• Perfectionist with a harsh inner critic
• Active & needs to keep “doing,” finding it hard to relax
• Appears calm on the outside, but may have racing thoughts 
• People pleaser who has a hard time saying no
• Procrastinates when stressed 
• Talks a lot or has nervous chatter
• Overthinks and overanalyzes everything
• Difficulty expressing emotions 
• Need for repetitions and reassurance 
• Tendency to dwell on the negative

What Does High-Functioning Depression Look Like?

Similarly to high functioning anxiety, individuals with high-functioning depression may not meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of depression, but are able to function normally most of the time. Thus, their depression is often not clear to others or themselves. Typical symptoms of depression would include persistent sad mood, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and/or guilt, loss of interest in hobbies or activities, fatigue, irritability, trouble sleeping, changes in appetite or weight, or thoughts of death or suicide. The following may be characteristic of an individual with high-functioning depression:

• Feeling a little down most of the time
• Poor self-esteem
• Difficulty making decisions
• Low energy and motivation 
• Performs well at school or work, but has difficulty focusing on tasks
• Crying a lot without any concrete reason
• Forcing oneself to engage in social activities when they’d rather withdraw 
• Feeling overwhelmed 
• Feeling lonely 

The Role of Stress

Before determining whether or not you have high-functioning anxiety or depression, it is important to first consider current stressors and evaluate their impact on your life. April is National Stress Awareness Month. We all experience stress in response to challenging circumstances and some times are more stressful than others. This is our body’s normal response. However, if these symptoms persist well beyond a stressful event or are consistent and unrelated to specific stressors, you may be experiencing high-functioning anxiety or depression. 

This truly highlights the importance of good mental health care and scheduling check in’s with a mental health therapist. The opportunity for building insight and awareness of our emotional loads and the management of that load is done best with the help and insight of a professional who can guide you through this. Everyone should consider seeing a therapist! When you are ready to do so, you can visit our therapist’s page to find a clinician who fits you best. 

Sources: nimh.nih.gov, rtor.org, psyccentral.com, waldenu.edu, health.usnews.com, washingtonpost.com

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