1. EachPod

372 - 6 Hidden Habits of High-Functioning Anxiety (and How to Heal Them)

Author
Michelle Grosser – Inspired by Mel Robbins, Rachel Hollis & Dr. Becky Kennedy
Published
Tue 15 Jul 2025
Episode Link
None

You’re functioning. Performing. Keeping it together.


But deep down, your mind is racing. Your shoulders are tense. And you’re one more Slack notification away from snapping.


If you’re looking calm on the outside—but buzzing underneath, it might be high-functioning anxiety—and most women don’t even realize they’re living in it.


Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on high-functioning anxiety from a nervous system perspective. 


I’ll walk you through what it really is, how it forms, and the hidden habits that keep you stuck in the loop—plus simple body-based ways to start shifting out.


You’ll learn:
 🔹 Why high-functioning anxiety isn’t just “being Type A”
 🔹 How your nervous system creates a performance-survival blend
 🔹 The physiological reason you can’t just “think your way out of it”
 🔹 How to spot (and shift) 6 subtle patterns that keep you dysregulated


Then, I’ll walk you through 6 hidden habits that high-functioning anxious women tend to carry—and the somatic tools that help you release them.


We’ll cover:
 ✔️ People-pleasing – the fawn response disguised as kindness
 ✔️ Overthinking – survival mode in a productivity costume
 ✔️ Perfectionism – when safety gets fused with performance
 ✔️ Suppressed needs – why you freeze when someone asks what you want
✔️ Hypervigilance – the nervous system on high alert, 24/7
✔️ Procrastination + sprinting – how your system flips from freeze to hustle


Because high-functioning anxiety isn’t your personality—it’s your protection.


And when you learn to regulate your body, you can finally stop white-knuckling your life.



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