High Functioning Depression and Burnout: A Culture Shift In Mental Health

Scraper
May 1
4 min read

There's a strange kind of ache that comes with looking successful but feeling hollow. You wake up, get to work, hit your deadlines, maybe even overdeliver. People call you reliable, professional, strong but inside, you're stretched thin, detached maybe even quietly breaking. That's high functioning depression and no, it's not just being 'tired' or 'burned out'.

For me, It has showed up in a plethora of places but the most ironic place? Working at a premium rehab center, Alpha Healing Center; A place where clinical excellence meets well being. A place that specializes in emotional unraveling, deep healing, and recovery. You'd think that environment would protect you. But the truth? Sometimes being surrounded by healing makes your own pain even louder.

The Performance Of Being Okay

High Functioning Depression (HFD) isn't about being non functional. It's about over functioning to hide the internal drag. According to Cleveland Clinic and Brainsway, It's a form of persistent depressive disorder, where the symptoms are muted but chronic: low self worth, irritability, and numbness, all cloaked under achievement and discipline.

At Alpha healing center, I watch patients shed their trauma in real life, expressive arts sessions, RTMS therapy, group breakthroughs. Yet I'm the one behind a camera, recording testimonials that would bring others to tear shed, while the inside voice wonders why I feel numb.

Capitalism Loves High Functioning Depression

Capitalism doesn’t reward emotional health, it rewards output. That’s why HFD flourishes in corporate culture. You’re applauded for pushing through, not for slowing down. Internalized capitalism tells us our worth is our productivity. As Dr. Desiree Howell explains, this mindset is especially dangerous for young professionals who tie identity to work performance.

I’ve felt that. The guilt of resting. The shame of needing help. The feeling that mental health days were a luxury I hadn’t earned. There’s a reason why burnout has become an epidemic in Gen Z and Millennials. We were raised in hustle culture, but we’re emotionally starving.

Masking in a Mental Health Mecca

Working at a rehab facility isn’t immunity from mental health issues, it’s often an amplifier. Being in proximity to healing doesn’t equal receiving it.

Yes, I was around top-tier modalities: Alpha Healing Center offers cutting edge treatments like RTMS, Bio-neurofeedback, expressive arts, and a mental wellness gym. But when you’re in the trenches of high-functioning depression, you start believing you don’t “deserve” help because you’re still managing to perform.

I’ve smiled through meetings. Recorded videos of people’s most vulnerable moments while actively disassociating. Telling myself, "You’re fine. You’re not the patient."

But I just might be. Just not in a room with my name on the chart.

Cracks in the Mask

The unraveling isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s forgetting simple words. Losing joy in your favorite music. Feeling nothing during big wins. I remember filming a documentary series and being praised for my energy, precision, work ethic. Meanwhile, I felt emotionally flatlined. That’s the quiet danger of HFD. No one checks on the strong friend until they collapse.

Only recently, after a string of heavy weeks and gentle nudges from the universe, did I start opening up about it. Its not just a niche of industry. It slowly starts becoming a mirror.

What Help Can Look Like (Even If You're Not Ready)

Recovery doesn’t always start with a breakdown. Sometimes it starts with a soft acknowledgment: "I’m not okay, and that’s valid."

Mindfulness practices. Reading Marcus Aurelius at night. Sitting with discomfort instead of editing it away. Talking to colleagues about more than work. Saying "no" without guilt. These aren’t huge acts, but they’re revolutionary when your life has been one long performance.

One day, I might finally say yes to RTMS or book a session in the Recharge Zone

But until then, small breaks in the mask are victories.

Why It’s Bigger Than Me (And You)

High functioning depression isn’t an individual failure, it’s a systemic issue. It’s a product of economic structures that prioritize hustle over humanity, and a society that only values mental health when it’s marketable.

We need spaces that offer more than surface-level support. Alpha Healing Center is one of the few that gets this balance right: clinical excellence & emotional intelligence. Science & soul. Tech & tenderness. But more than that, we need to give ourselves permission to stop performing.

Button: Rewriting What Functioning Means

If you’ve read this far, maybe you know what I mean. Maybe you’ve been there too—smiling while breaking, performing while aching. You’re not alone. High functioning depression is real. Recovery is possible. And sometimes, it starts not with a cry for help, but a quiet confession: "I’m not fine." Let’s stop glamorizing the grind and start celebrating rest. Let’s drop the mask.

And if you ever need a place to start healing, Alpha Healing Center isn’t just a workplace—it’s a home for the broken and the brave.

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