5 Reasons Anxiety from ‘Inside Out 2’ Is So Relatable

Image credit: Disney | Pixar

Anxiety is the stand-out emotion in Inside Out 2 and I loved them the moment they made their on-screen debut. The cropped flare pants! The striped top! The awkward full toothed smile, furrowed brows, and high-top ponytail! I am them, and they are me. Are they you too?

Even though Inside Out 2 came out in 2024, chances are, Anxiety struck a chord with me and I’m still thinking about them. An estimated 19% of adults in the United States meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder, and many more experience anxiety in its most benign form.

If we don’t know each other already, I’m Halle, an anxiety therapist based in Colorado. Once upon a time, I was a liberal arts college student who analyzed and critiqued movies in my spare time. Now I combine my interests in anxiety and pop culture on this blog because…it’s my party and I can blog how I want to!

5 Reasons Anxiety from Inside Out 2 is So Relatable

Reason 1: Anxiety has good intentions, but not the best execution.

There’s a part in Inside Out 2 where Anxiety says, “Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry! I can get ahead of myself,” and I said aloud “TRUE!!!”

Anxiety’s trademark is that it only considers the future. And even if that sounds okay on paper, anxiety tends to focus on a future where the worst-case-scenario happens.

So instead of feeling prepped and organized, anxiety can leave you feeling frazzled and afraid.

Reason 2: Anxiety has a hard time getting along with some emotions.

There are several moments during Inside Out 2 Anxiety really butts heads with Joy, and for good reason! While there are many emotions that can co-exist with ease, anxiety and joy tend to compete for mental space. 

Maybe you’ve felt this for yourself. While joy is a strong emotion, it can get glossed over when anxiety is activated.

Image credit: Disney | Pixar

I’ve seen this in my own practice over the years when working with therapy clients. For some examples:

Someone gets a promotion at work and while they’d like to be feeling joy about it, all they feel is anxiety about growing pressure and expectations.

Another person’s partner surprises them with tickets to see their favorite band. Instead of feeling happy about it, they feel dread and anxiety about having to get to the concert by car.

Take a moment to pause and think about a recent time where anxiety overrode your own joy

Reason 3: Anxiety is focused on safety.

There’s a point in Inside Out 2 where Anxiety says, “my job is to protect her from the scary stuff.” And that’s exactly what anxiety is supposed to do.

As an emotion, anxiety is designed to alert you to danger, like a grizzly bear that’s running right at you. But you might notice that anxiety comes up in situations where there’s not a direct threat to your life, like:

• Deciding what to wear to meet up with friends you haven’t seen in a few years 

• Getting an unexpected email from your boss asking you to take on more work 

• Trying to get out your front door in the morning 

So instead of feeling grateful toward anxiety, you might end up feeling resentful and frustrated.

Reason 4: Anxiety is good friends with specific emotions.

I appreciated that the writers of Inside Out 2 gave Anxiety a friend group, and an accurate one at that: Envy, Ennui (aka boredom), and Embarrassment. These emotions all interact and tend to feed off of each other. This can create a cycle that can feel hard to break out of on your own. 

Image credit: Disney | Pixar

For instance, if a friend of yours buys a house, you might feel a bit envious that you’re not checking off that same societally approved milestone. And then you might start to feel anxious about being “behind” in life.

Or you feel a bit of ennui during the time you specifically took off of work. Which then leads to you feeling anxious about not spending your time off well.

And then there’s embarrassment. Let’s say you’re on a first date and accidentally drop a bit of food on your lap. Anxiety might start spouting off a ton of fears about how your date is going to think you’re sloppy or careless.

Reason 5: Anxiety can get confused, even by itself.

In Inside Out 2, we see Anxiety have a panic attack. One trigger for panic attacks is when you’re putting so much effort into a task, but nothing seems to be working. 

When this happens, anxiety can take on a frantic energy that’s fueled by questions like, ”What’s happening to me?” “Why am I like this?” “Why can’t I just get myself under control?”

This spiraling series of questions can turn into a full blown panic attack, where you might feel an impending sense of doom, or like you’re having a heart attack. Panic attacks vary from person-to-person.

It’s also important to note that some people who have anxiety don’t have panic attacks, but still experience extreme discomfort.

The good folks at Pixar did their homework.

From Anxiety’s good intentions, focus on safety, messy execution, and group of complementary emotions, they embody how many of us experience anxiety for ourselves.

Anxiety may be one emotion, but its strong ties to other emotions can make for a complicated and overwhelming experience.

Get Support for Your Own Anxiety

If you’ve recently watched Inside Out 2 and realized that your own anxiety is running the control panel in your brain, here are some ways I can help:

Sign up for my free newsletter, The Chicory Root. I send out anxiety tips twice a month.

Follow me over on Instagram @chicorycounseling where I share practices you can use to calm your anxiety, along with a ton of relatable and funny content.

Read through past blog posts that cover practically everything you could ever want to know about anxiety.

And if you want me to be your therapist (and you live in Colorado or Oregon), check out my services (Therapy & Therapy Intensives) and reach out for a free consultation!

I’m Halle! An anxiety therapist in Boulder, Colorado.

I work with adults who are ready for anxiety to stop running (and ruining!) their lives. You can work with me in either 1:1 weekly therapy, or in a therapy intensive.

If you live in either Colorado or Oregon, I’d love to work with you. Book your free intro call to get started!