Anxiety isn’t always negative. It can serve a useful function by helping us anticipate setbacks and plan ways to overcome them. For instance, as a freelance writer, anxiety might motivate you to pitch to new editors and check your calendar to meet deadlines. This vigilance can ensure tasks are completed on time.

However, the downside is when anxiety becomes overwhelming and uncontrollable. You might find yourself waking up at 3 a.m. to check an email you forgot to send, staying up to work on multiple tasks, and suddenly realizing it’s morning, you haven’t slept, and you’re exhausted.In “Inside Out 2,” Riley experiences similar challenges. She imagines failing at hockey and practices at all hours because her anxiety feels like a storm inside her head. This constant worry doesn’t just steal her sleep; it also separates her from her core self. Before anxiety took hold, Riley was confident, kind, and dedicated to her friends.

Anxiety changes that, filling her with self-doubt and causing her to lose her sense of direction. She starts abandoning her friends to fit in with the cool kids, becoming unpredictable and unpleasant. The film gently shows how Riley’s anxiety affects her behavior on the ice, potentially endangering herself and others.

Recognizing the balance between anxiety's motivating aspects and its disruptive impact is essential. If anxiety is interfering with your daily life, we are here to help you find ways to manage it effectively.