,Anxiety | Inside Out 2 | Mental Health & Pop Culture

San Francisco psychologist Alexis Lopez, PsyD, reflects on the portrayal of anxiety in Inside Out 2, and her own experiences with anxiety as a young person from an immigrant family. (Some plot spoilers ahead, so proceed at your own risk!)

Knock knock. Who’s there? Anxiety!

If you clicked on this blog post, you’ve probably grappled with the question in the title. Whether its “Sunday scaries,” impostor syndrome, social anxiety, or bearing witness to our socio-political climate, anxiety is omnipresent.

You might say I have expertise on the topic, having experienced it since childhood and now centering it as a therapy niche. Back then, I didn’t have the mental health terms to describe it. I knew it as tension in my chest, difficulty breathing, and stomach discomfort.

Related Blog: Why “Feeling Your Feelings” Actually Matters

By high school, I found myself (more often than not) being the only Latinx student in my Advanced Placement courses. Though I didn’t have the words for it at the time, “stereotype threat” underpinned much of my experience. If you’re not familiar, stereotype threat is the sometimes overwhelming sense of pressure that can come with wanting to disprove a stereotype. It can undermine our mental health and make it harder for us to perform at our best.

Among 8-10 students in my overall cohort with my last name, I was the only one who made it to graduation. After years of anxiety and achievement, I was admitted into one of the top 13 universities in the country. Reading that acceptance letter was a rare moment of joy for me.

What went wrong? I thought I was doing everything right…

Believing that Riley’s core emotions—including Joy—are hindering her goals, Anxiety banishes them to the land of “suppressed emotions.” We then witness how Anxiety takes control with the intention of helping Riley navigate any obstacles she may face. Most notably, we see a room of animators creating “anxiety projections” of worst case scenarios in Riley’s mind before bedtime.

As the story progresses, Riley narrowly focuses on improving her hockey skills and befriending the cool kids. Though she initially makes progress on both fronts, it involves sacrificing sleep and neglecting her best friends.

Over time we see her sense of self shift from “I’m a good person” to “I’m not good enough.” She continues to make decisions that don’t align with her core values as part of doubling down on her goals. Playing ice hockey transforms from an experience that centers Joy to one centering Anxiety, self-doubt and self-criticism. Even when Anxiety’s plan goes awry, she explains: “Don’t worry. It just means that there’s always room for self-improvement.”

Coping with Anxiety & Finding Your Integrated Self

On her journey back to HQ from the land of “suppressed emotions,” Riley’s core emotion of Joy experiences various emotions herself. She displays anger about the reality of “how hard it is to stay positive all the time.” She also exhibits sadness when wondering if “when you grow up you feel less joy.” These experiences help Joy see the drawbacks of initially only letting Riley remember her “best” experiences and repressing “bad” ones. Arriving at HQ, Joy finds Riley having a panic attack. It is poignantly illustrated as a hurricane of energy with Anxiety standing paralyzed at its core. 

“I”m sorry. I was trying to protect her. We don’t get to choose who Riley is.” – Anxiety

Joy realizes that integrating Riley’s sense of self to include all of her memories and self-beliefs is the path forward. When her emotions come together to offer Riley’s sense of self a compassionate hug, Riley is able to ground herself. We see her tapping into her five senses, engaging in deep breathing, and having gratitude for the present moment. This connection to an integrated sense of self empowers her to be vulnerable and make amends with her best friends. Having gained a sense of empowerment, Riley calls forth Joy to once again take the lead as she plays hockey.

I started reclaiming my sense of self in college when I allowed myself to take a detour. Leaning into my knack for languages, I connected to my fascination with Greek and Roman mythology. I was also introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe which complemented my exploration of “the hero’s journey.”

Through therapy and career counseling, I found and followed a new place to direct my ambition and perseverance: clinical psychology. As a therapist, I’m captivated by the life stories of my clients who are the heroes of their own journeys. I guide them in developing an integrated sense of self, consulting all of their emotions — including our friend, Anxiety.

Three Ways To Befriend Your Anxiety

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” – Joseph Campbell

Is it possible to befriend your anxiety? In my experience, it is — or at least to figure out a way to collaborate and coexist.

Get to know your anxiety. How does it think — about you, about people in your life, and about the future? Does it interact with other emotions? Where does it show up in our body? How does it co-exist with our intersecting identities and the systems we navigate (e.g. community, family, workplace, socio-political environment)? You may even want to create a visual representation of it.

Explore what factors originally shaped your experience of anxiety and now maintain it. You might explore your earliest memories of anxiety, and how family or friends responded to it. What messages were instilled in you by your community and culture about emotions and their purpose?  

Create a toolbox of coping skills. Based on how your anxiety likes to greet you, there are a variety of strategies that can help you sit with and move through it. 

• • In addition to the skills we saw Riley implement (e.g. deep breathing, tapping into the five senses, expressing gratitude), practice asking your anxiety what it is trying to communicate and what it is needing. Is it trying to draw attention to an unconscious desire (e.g. slowing down) or preparing you to do something important? 
  • There may also be times when you need to let yourself step away and revisit anxiety at a later time. If so, it helps to schedule time for mindful reflection or “worry time.” 
  • Most importantly, nurture self-compassion. Practice speaking to yourself as you would speak to a loved one.