The song “Anxiety” by Julia Michaels, featuring Selena Gomez, details their experiences living with anxiety. “Anxiety” is a very intimate and heartfelt song that highlights the inner monologue that someone with anxiety may have. Julia Michaels along with Selena Gomez are both singers that advocate for mental health awareness through their platform and music. By sharing their experiences with others, they are able to help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and anxiety. The song speaks about living life with anxiety and how it can affect relationships and day-to-day living. In an interview with Glamour, Michaels stated “that’s what anxiety does; it comes out of nowhere and causes chaos just for fun…All it takes is one person to listen. To care. To make you feel like you’re not crazy”. Selena Gomez also spoke about her relationship with the song during an interview with Elle: “I’ve had a lot of issues with depression and anxiety, and I’ve been very vocal about it, but it’s not something I feel I’ll ever overcome. There won’t be a day when I’m like, ‘here I am in a pretty dress—I won!’ I think it’s a battle I’m gonna have to face for the rest of my life, and I’m okay with that because I know that I’m choosing myself over anything else”.

But all my friends, they don’t know what it’s like, what it’s like
They don’t understand why I can’t sleep through the night
I’ve been told that I could take something to fix it
Damn, I wish it, I wish it was that simple, ah
All my friends they don’t know what it’s like, what it’s like

Always wanted to be one of those people in the room
That says something and everyone puts their hand up
Like, “If you’re sad, put your hand up
If you hate someone, put your hand up
If you’re scared, put your hand up”

Feel like I’m always apologizing for feeling
Like I’m out of my mind when I’m doing just fine
And my exes will say that I’m hard to deal with
And I admit it, it’s true

Image Credit:
Feature: Sydney Sims at Unsplash, Creative Commons