You pride yourself on your productivity and are vigilant about meeting work deadlines. You always show up for your friends at social gatherings, and even keep up with hobbies. On the outside you appear organized and successful, while on the inside you are feeling overly worried and stressed. Experts call this high-functioning anxiety -- when the constant hustle masks symptoms of generalized anxiety.

While not an official diagnosis under the DSM-5, the classification of mental health disorders, high-functioning anxiety refers to a more subtle and less obvious form of anxiety. You may have heard the phrase used to describe people who function at a high level despite having anxiety symptoms.

People with high-functioning anxiety are typically high-achievers, perfectionists, and "type A," whose symptoms of generalized anxiety are less visible and, therefore, harder to treat.

"They might still excel in their careers, have many friends, and have strong relationships," says Dr. Neha Chaudhary, child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and the chief medical officer at Modern Health. "But inside, they might be struggling with common symptoms of anxiety like restlessness, excessive worrying, trouble sleeping, or fatigue."

People with high-functioning anxiety may cope by engaging in behavior that makes them appear more productive or accomplished.

"The same personality traits that drive individuals to perform at the highest level often fuel the symptoms of anxiety," says Dr. Michael Louwers, associate medical director at Reset Medical and Wellness Center. "It often begins with good intentions, such as goal-setting and rigorous planning. However, those experiencing this type of anxiety usually establish incredibly high and unrealistic goals, resulting in procrastination or constant worry."

Managing anxiety by appearing more productive is more common for women and minority groups, who "are acculturated to ignore their pain and discomfort to be there for others," says Dr. Judith Joseph, psychiatrist and author of the book High Functioning. "Women are often acculturated to push through physical pain of periods, postpartum and menopause and this puts them at risk for [high-functioning anxiety] because they feel that they have to show up in spite of what they are going through physiologically."

Many of the particular signs of high-functioning anxiety are synonymous with burnout, which is no coincidence as those who overexert themselves are at a higher risk of burnout.

It's essential to take high-functioning anxiety seriously before it leads to other conditions -- and to not see overperforming as the only way to calm the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety.

"People with high functioning anxiety and depression will have the symptoms but may actually overextend themselves to appear functioning," Joseph says. "If we wait until these people lose their functioning, we could be too late. Many of them burn out, develop clinical depression or anxiety, abuse substances or develop medical problems if untreated and unsupported."

Some people may benefit from talk therapy, medication, or a combination of both. There are also everyday tools that may help.

"If you recognize the signs and symptoms and are struggling, know you're not alone, and resources are available," Louwers says.