​Anxiety shows up differently from person to person, but common signs and symptoms include:

• Excess worry that interferes with daily functioning

• Feeling restless, wound-up, or on edge

• Difficulty thinking or concentrating

• Feeling irritable

• Problems falling asleep or staying asleep

• Muscle tension (such as clenching or tightness in the chest)

• Rapid heartbeat or rapid breathing

• Feeling nauseous or experiencing an upset stomach

• Fatigue

 

Not everyone experiences anxiety the same way, and symptoms can range from mild and occasional to persistent and disruptive.

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What Is High-Functioning Anxiety?

 

High-functioning anxiety is a pattern Dr. Gleiberman sees frequently among Bay Area professionals, parents, and students. It describes anxiety that exists alongside outward success. An individual is performing well at work or school, managing responsibilities, and meeting expectations. Meanwhile internally experiencing chronic worry, perfectionism, and an inability to relax.

 

High-functioning anxiety often goes unrecognized because it looks like ambition or attention to detail rather than discomfort. Common patterns include difficulty saying no, needing external validation to feel secure, over-preparing to avoid any possibility of failure, and feeling unable to rest without guilt.

This is a particularly common experience in the Bay Area's high-pressure professional culture and hyper competitive academic landscape. Read more about high-functioning anxiety and what helps

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What Causes Anxiety?

 

Anxiety has both biological and psychological roots. Anxiety can develop as a way the nervous system learned to anticipate and prepare for perceived threats, whether those threats are physical, relational, or related to performance and achievement. Early relational experiences, such as how safety, approval, and connection were modeled in childhood, can shape how anxiety presents in adulthood.

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Environmental and situational factors matter too. Career pressure, academic competition, financial stress, major life transitions, and the pace of life in the Bay Area can all contribute to or intensify anxiety symptoms.

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How Is Anxiety Treated?

 

The underlying patterns — This can be through examining where anxious responses originated, what early experiences shaped your relationship to worry and safety, or how those patterns to show up in your current life.

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Practical, immediate tools — Concrete strategies for managing anxious thoughts, regulating physical symptoms, and building tolerance for uncertainty in day-to-day situations.

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This integrated approach is designed to create both immediate relief and durable, long-term change, rather than only addressing surface-level symptoms.

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When Should I See a Psychologist for Anxiety?

 

It may be helpful to seek support if anxiety is interfering with your ability to function at work, in school, or in relationships. You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy, rather if you find yourself feeling like anxiety is impacting your ability to experience life in more meaningful ways with less disruption.

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Do You Treat Anxiety in Both Teens and Adults?

 

Yes. Dr. Gleiberman works with both teens and adults experiencing anxiety. For teens, this often includes academic pressure and performance anxiety common among students in the hyper competitive academics of the Bay Area. Learn more about teen academic anxiety. For adults, this frequently includes high-functioning anxiety, burnout, and imposter syndrome, which often present together with anxiety.