Do I have High-Functioning Anxiety or High-Functioning Depression?

For the longest time, I thought that something wasn't quite right. My brain wouldn’t shut up, and no matter what I got done, or achieved, I never really felt at peace.

Eventually, I came across the phrase, High Functioning, and it made my world make sense.

With more research and several google diagnosis later, I learned that there was more than one kind!

High Functioning has an Anxious and a Depressed variation.

It's possible to be High Functioning Anxious or High Functioning Depressed.

So how do you know which one you’ve got?

It’s actually simple. Once you know what to look for.

The why underneath!!

That’s what tells you if it’s HFAnxiety or HFDepression.

Let me explain...

Always Doing, But Never Feeling Done

With HFA, you're constantly busy, driven, restless, always pushing to do more. You’re productive... but never satisfied. Rest feels unearned. Your to-do list is never done.

With HFD, you're moving, but it feels mechanical. You’re dragging yourself through the day, showing up out of habit or obligation, not motivation. Things feel heavy. Joy feels distant.

Looking Calm, But Your Mind Won’t Stop

With HFA, your thoughts are racing. You’re playing out worst-case scenarios, trying to stay five steps ahead. You look composed, but your inner world is chaos.

With HFD, your thoughts are slower, heavier. There’s a low-level hopelessness, a quiet sense of “what’s the point?” It’s not noisy, just numb.

You’re ‘Fine’… Until You’re Not

With HFA, you can function until something small tips the scale. Then you crash hard, burnout, overwhelm, panic. But until then? You keep performing, because being “fine” is part of the role.

With HFD, you don’t crash all at once. You fade. You pull back from things you used to enjoy. You stop reaching out. It’s a slow disconnect from your own life.

People Think You Have It All Together

With HFA, they see you as driven, disciplined, reliable. You are all those things. But what they don’t see is the fear underneath, the fear of failure, of letting people down, of not being enough.

With HFD, they still think you’re handling it. But inside, you’re emotionally checked out. You’re not overwhelmed, you’re just empty. And it’s hard to explain because nothing looks wrong.

You Can’t Sit Still vs. You Can’t Get Moving

With HFA, stillness feels unbearable. You fill every moment, scrolling, planning, working, fixinG, because being alone with your thoughts is uncomfortable.

With HFD, it’s the opposite. Everything feels like too much. Getting out of bed? Making a decision? Socializing? Exhausting. You’re stuck in stillness, but not the peaceful kind.

If you've made it this far down the blog, let me simplify.

The Key Difference between High Functioning Anxiety and High Functioning Depression

High-functioning anxiety fuels you. It keeps you moving, but at a cost.

High-functioning depression drains you. It makes every step feel heavier.

HFA is like sprinting on a treadmill. You’re moving fast, but you’re afraid to stop.

HFD is like walking through mud. You’re moving, but it’s slow, and everything feels effortful.

For me...

Once I understood the difference it shifted everything for me and how I approached clients with HFD or HFA.

If any of this sounds familiar, or maybe you're still confused.

Try this CheckList To Help Determine What Type of High Functioning You are.

Find Out Now

Want to Talk about how you can optimize or break out of the habits that keep you stuck in HFD or HFA?

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