Phoebe Greenacre is joined by Dr. Lalitaa Suglani, a world-leading psychologist and author of the book High Functioning Anxiety. Lalitaa’s mission is to empower individuals with high-functioning anxiety to reclaim their inner strength, resilience, and well-being. This enlightening conversation explores practical tools to break free from the grip of anxiety, embrace self-awareness, and foster emotional and psychological health.

Lalitaa explains that the power to heal is already within us, and the world around us is merely a reflection of what’s happening inside. Together, they dive deep into understanding high-functioning anxiety, its root causes, and how to reconnect with your mind-body balance.

How Suppressing Your Emotions Can Cause Trauma and Patterns

One of the key insights Lalitaa shares is how suppressing emotions can lead to trauma and negative patterns that manifest in our lives. By ignoring our emotions or pushing them aside, we create an inner environment that fosters anxiety and stress. Lalitaa encourages us to acknowledge and release our emotions rather than suppress them. This approach helps prevent emotional buildup and allows us to process our feelings in a healthier way.

How to Regulate Your Emotions Without Them Becoming Reactions

Regulating your emotions is a vital part of managing high-functioning anxiety. Lalitaa offers practical advice on how to control your emotional responses without letting them spiral into automatic reactions. By taking a pause and practising mindfulness, you can create space between stimulus and response. This allows you to process your emotions in a grounded way and respond from a place of calm and clarity rather than reacting out of anxiety.

How Self-Awareness Impacts All Your Relationships

Self-awareness plays a critical role in how we navigate our relationships, especially when dealing with high-functioning anxiety. Lalitaa explains that the more we understand our emotional triggers, thought patterns, and behaviours, the better equipped we are to engage with others. This self-awareness leads to healthier, more balanced relationships, as we can communicate more openly and respond to challenges with greater emotional intelligence.

The Root Cause and Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety

Understanding the root cause of high-functioning anxiety is essential for healing. Lalitaa discusses how anxiety often originates from childhood experiences, such as high expectations, trauma, or an overactive desire to please others. These early experiences shape how we respond to stress and anxiety in adulthood. By uncovering these roots, we can begin to reframe our approach to anxiety and make conscious efforts to heal.

What Situations Cause High-Functioning Anxiety in Your Formative Years

Certain situations during formative years can plant the seeds of high-functioning anxiety. These can include growing up in an environment with unrealistic expectations, neglecting emotional needs, or experiencing trauma. Lalitaa explains how identifying these triggers can help us understand our current emotional landscape and make necessary changes. By recognizing these patterns, we empower ourselves to break free from them.

Tips on How to Pause So You Can Respond as Your Higher Self

When we feel anxious, our first instinct is often to react immediately. However, Lalitaa shares an essential tool: pausing. By taking a moment to breathe and create space before reacting, we can shift our response from anxiety-driven behaviour to a more intentional and aligned reaction. This practice of pausing allows us to respond from our higher self, grounded in wisdom and clarity.

Breaking Down the Two Sides of High-Functioning Anxiety

High-functioning anxiety can often be misunderstood because people with it are highly productive, organised, and appear to have everything under control. However, beneath the surface, they may struggle with overwhelming fear, self-doubt, and stress. Lalitaa breaks down the two sides of high-functioning anxiety: the external, high-achieving persona and the internal battle with anxiety. By recognizing both sides, we can begin to address the deeper emotional work needed to heal.

Why You’ll Acquire a Different Blueprint to Your Sibling

Lalitaa explains how childhood experiences and family dynamics influence our emotional development, leading siblings to acquire different emotional blueprints. These blueprints shape how we cope with stress and anxiety. By understanding these differences, we can begin to see how our individual coping mechanisms developed and what we need to heal in order to shift our relationship with anxiety.

Tips on How to Bring Awareness to and Manage Your Anxiety

Managing high-functioning anxiety starts with awareness. Lalitaa shares several tips for bringing mindfulness to your anxiety, such as journaling, identifying physical symptoms of anxiety, and tracking your emotional triggers. By bringing awareness to your anxiety, you can begin to reframe your thoughts and shift your responses. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and deep breathing, are also essential tools for managing anxiety on a daily basis.

How Far ChatGPT Can Support You as a Personal Inquiry Tool

Interestingly, Lalitaa also touches on how digital tools like ChatGPT can serve as personal inquiry tools for self-reflection. By using a tool like ChatGPT, individuals can explore their thoughts, emotions, and triggers in a non-judgmental space, which can help promote self-awareness and emotional regulation. While it’s no substitute for professional therapy, ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for processing emotions and gaining insight into patterns.

How to Find the Right Therapist for You

Finally, Lalitaa emphasises the importance of finding the right therapist to guide you through your journey with anxiety. Not every therapist will be the right fit for everyone, so it’s important to take your time to find someone who resonates with you and your needs. She provides tips on how to look for a therapist who specialises in anxiety, trauma, or high-functioning anxiety, and how to approach therapy with an open heart and mind.

Curious to learn more about how to break free from high-functioning anxiety and reclaim your emotional well-being? Tune into Dr. Lalitaa Suglani’s full conversation on the Consciously Alive podcast Spotify and Apple Podcast

About Consciously Alive

Consciously Alive is a podcast dedicated to those seeking to lead empowered and fulfilling lives. Each episode features transformative conversations with experts, offering insights and practical guidance to help you tap into your fullest potential and create a life that aligns with your deepest values.