Survivors’ Anthem Series # 36: “Anxiety” - Julia Michaels

When Trauma Lives in the Body

Some survivor anthems are about what happened to us. Some are about finding our voice. And some finally give words to something we’ve been feeling, but couldn’t fully explain.

This is Survivors’ Anthem # 36:

“Anxiety” — by Julia Michaels

And for me, this one didn’t just resonate, it explained me.

Putting Words to What I Feel

Listening to “Anxiety” was one of those moments where everything just clicked. The overthinking. The racing thoughts. The feeling of being overwhelmed, even when nothing seems wrong on the outside.

It put words to things I feel and experience all the time. Things that, for a long time, I didn’t fully understand.

When You Don’t Realize It’s Happening

One of the hardest parts about anxiety, especially for survivors, is that you don’t always recognize it in the moment. It just… happens. Your body reacts. Your mind spirals. You feel it before you can even name it.

And sometimes, you don’t even realize it was anxiety until after it’s already passed. That’s something so many survivors experience.

Trauma Doesn’t Just Stay in the Past

Trauma doesn’t always look the way people expect it to. It doesn’t always stay in the past. It shows up in the present, in how we think. In how we react. In how our bodies respond to things that remind us, even subconsciously, of what we’ve been through.

For many of us…

Trauma responses present as anxiety.

You’re Not “Too Much”

Anxiety can make you feel like:

You’re overreacting.

You’re too sensitive.

You’re “too much.”

But the truth is, your mind and body learned how to survive. They adapted. They protected you the best way they knew how.

And even though those responses might not always serve you now, they came from a place of survival.

A Thank You

To Julia Michaels, thank you for writing a song that speaks so honestly about something so many people experience but struggle to explain.

Thank you for making anxiety something we can talk about openly.

Because naming it…is part of understanding it.

What This Anthem Means to Me

For me, this anthem represents something incredibly important:

Awareness. Understanding that what I feel has a name. Understanding that I’m not alone in it. Understanding that it makes sense.

It doesn’t make it disappear. But it makes it less isolating. And that matters.

Mental Health Awareness Month

As we begin Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to remember:

Mental health doesn’t always look visible.

It doesn’t always look like what people expect.

And for survivors, it often carries layers that go unseen.

💚 Anxiety

💚 Hypervigilance

💚 Overthinking

💚 Emotional overwhelm

These are not flaws.

They are often trauma responses.

And they deserve understanding, not judgment.

What’s Next in the Survivors’ Anthem Series

Every song in this series represents a different stage of healing.

• Some songs helped me survive.

• Some helped me process pain.

• Some helped me find my voice.

  
  

This anthem represents something just as powerful:

Understanding what we feel.

As the series continues, I’ll keep sharing the songs that shaped my journey through survival, healing, and strength.

Because sometimes healing begins, the moment we finally have words for what we’ve been carrying.

💜 Continue the Journey

The Survivors’ Anthem Series is more than a collection of songs, it’s a journey through survival, healing, and strength.

🎧 Listen to the Survivors’ Anthem Playlists

Experience every song in the series on Spotify and YouTube—music that tells stories of survival, healing, and hope.

📖 Read Because of Jane

Go deeper into the story behind the series and the experiences that shaped it.

💜 Learn About The Jane Project

Discover a space created for survivors to share what helped them through, because everyone has their own “Jane.”

Because sometimes the song that helped you heal… is the one someone else needs to hear next.