High-functioning anxiety is often hidden. It doesn’t always look like panic, shutdown, or isolation. In many cases, it looks like achievement, productivity, and showing up consistently, no matter how overwhelmed a person feels inside.

In Black women, high-functioning anxiety often goes unrecognized and unaddressed. It can blend into the cultural norm of being “strong,” independent, and emotionally self-sufficient. However, the internal weight of anxiety can take a toll on the mind and body, even when it’s not visible to others.

"Mental well-being" and "mental disorders" are often used interchangeably, but their meanings are not the same. Mental well-being encompasses one's mental and emotional state, while mental disorders are clinically diagnosed conditions that alter thoughts and behavior patterns. Even though every individual may occasionally experience periods of diminished mental well-being, not all will be diagnosed with a mental disorder. Conversely, those diagnosed with mental disorders can still achieve periods of good mental well-being.