Inside Out 2, depicts the inner workings of a young girl Riley’s brain using emotions as characters. As a teen, the portrayal of one particular emotion “anxiety,” a cornerstone of teen emotion, intrigued me. A well thought-out depiction can help those who struggle with anxiety feel more understood.

Anxiety is shown as small and thin. She has a wide, unsure smile, has huge eyes, and has hair arranged like a troll doll. When Anxiety and the other new characters join the headquarters of Riley’s brain, there is immediate tension between her and Joy.

Riley goes away on a three-day hockey camp and wants to be liked by the girls. She wants to impress the coach to make the high school hockey team. Joy wants her to focus on spending time with friends and being her usual kind and goofy self. Anxiety takes Riley’s goals, makes them seem very hard, works tirelessly to make sure that they happen, while simultaneously changing the beliefs Riley has about herself. Before Anxiety, Riley believed that she was good enough. But after Anxiety appeared, Riley believed that she wasn’t. I felt that the conflict between Anxiety and Joy was pretty accurate. When we experience joy, it comes with a feeling of contentment. Anxiety doesn’t let us feel content. It keeps us out of present moment and launches us into a situation that doesn’t yet exist.

To prepare Riley, Anxiety asks a group of workers in Riley’s brain to draw potential scenarios and outcomes. They draw her missing a goal, falling on her face etc. To counteract, Joy drew positive images for Riley, like her scoring, making friends, being chosen for the team. However, in the end, Anxiety’s efforts were stronger than Joy’s. I found this to be relatable. One anxious thought truly holds more power than 99 positive thoughts.

The height of Riley’s anxiety appeared in the form of an intense panic attack. Riley was fidgeting, sweating, having trouble breathing. Inside her brain, Anxiety was creating a tornado of panic. I felt that this depiction of panic attack was perfect because of the connection between the body and the brain and how what originally starts as being negative thoughts, translates to a full physical experience. Riley was able to get through the panic attack by deep breathing, which in reality is one of the perfect things to do when you are going through panic attack. When her panic attack ended, Anxiety finally stopped moving, was worn down, and started crying. That is what happens when anxiety takes over, it is exhausting and leads to feeling lethargic and unmotivated.

I appreciate that, in the movie, anxiety was not depicted as a bad emotion, but as a feeling that has a purpose and intends to help keep us safe. Accepting that anxiety in moderation can be powerful in self-acceptance. I feel the audience will leave with better understanding of anxiety, with more compassion for themselves.