Mental Health Matters

October 10 marks World Mental Health Day. With anxiety on the rise, it’s never been more important to reach out

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It’s time to focus on the one relationship you should always enhance: the one with yourself 

Whether you’re a perfectionist by nature or a full-blown catastrophiser, your anxiety manifests in different forms, but there are ways you can manage it.

THE FACE OF HIGHFUNCTIONING ANXIETY

Not all anxiety disorders look the same. For many, anxiety exists in a high-functioning form, allowing those suffering to take part in their everyday life, while their anxiety lingers in the background, causing constant distress. So how can you tell if you or someone might suffer from HFA? According to Peter Diaz, founder and CEO of the Workplace Mental Health Institute, it’s a case of diagnosis. ‘HFA aims to describe something that seems to be missed by the diagnoses – that a person can be suffering anxiety but not be dysfunctional.’

We’re conditioned to believe that because we’re not crumbling, that perhaps we’re overthinking or overworked. Diaz explains that perfectionists often experience a degree of distress that could be characterised as HFA. ‘When a person becomes a perfectionist, they are highly likely to experience anxiety too. When we set an expectation of “perfection” for ourselves, anything less becomes a cause for worry and stress.’ 

ANXIETY ATTACK HACKS

Having a moment?! No worries. These tricks will stop your freak-out in its tracks

1. YOU’RE RUNNING LATE 

This seems like a super-frustrating sitch that you have no control over, but it’s not so bad! ‘Your own thoughts, like, This traffic is endless or My boss will flip, often cause stress,’ says clinical director of the Ross Center for Anxiety, Greta Hirsch. ‘Your brain is confusing possibility with probability.’