After High-Functioning | Reclaiming Yourself in the Quiet
Last month, we named the hidden struggle that so many of us carry, being anxious but high-functioning.
You’re the one who gets things done. You show up, keep going, hold it all together. On the outside, everything looks fine. On the inside? You are exhausted.
High-functioning anxiety has a way of convincing you that peace must be earned. That rest is for later. That only when everything is handled can you finally take a breath.
But what if peace is not something you hustle for?
What if it is something you return to?
High-Functioning Is Not Wholeness
Let’s be clear, being high-functioning is not the same as being well.
It often means you’ve mastered the art of looking fine while silently drowning. It means your coping strategies are so polished, even you start to forget they’re born from survival, not stability.
You meet every deadline but forget to eat
You support everyone else but cannot ask for help
You smile in public but cry in silence
This is not balance. This is burnout in disguise. And you deserve more than a life that only appears okay.
Healing Means Reconnection, Not Just Rest
So, what comes after high-functioning?
It’s not about quitting your job or giving up on your responsibilities.
It is about reclaiming your right to be human; messy, tired, tender, and whole.
It is about making room to:
Feel instead of perform
Ask instead of over-function
Breathe instead of brace
Healing is not a productivity plan. It is a relationship with yourself that says, I will not abandon me anymore.
August Is the Month to Come Home to Yourself
The energy of August often calls us inward.
The brightness of summer starts to soften.
And we’re given a quiet invitation: slow down enough to hear your own voice again.
This month, I invite you to take one small step toward self-connection:
Say no to something that drains you
Rest before you need to recover
Write what you feel without editing it
These are not luxuries. They are survival skills for the version of you that wants to live, not just function.
Journal Prompt
What part of me have I ignored in order to keep up appearances?
What does it need from me today?
Affirmation
I am not a machine.
I do not need to perform wellness to deserve rest.
Peace is my right, not a reward.
Written by Marcia Blane, LPC, NCC, C.Ht.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor | Trauma-Informed Life Coach | Clinical Hypnotherapist
www.marciablane.com
