43 Songs About Anxiety That Will Have You Feeling Not So Alone
Anxiety is best described as nervousness when uncertainty is afoot. Social anxiety disorder is the most common type. It affects 15 million adults nationwide in the United States, which is 6.8% of the country's population.
Given how difficult it can be to deal with the symptoms, people often listen to songs as a means of self-therapy. Here is our list of songs about anxiety that will make you feel less alone when you listen to them.
Contents
1. “Anxiety” by Anna Clendening
Song Year: 2019
Anna Clendening sings about a lover she desperately wants to let go of to move on with life. However, she feels anxiety about making the change in her life that she needs for her mental health.
The singer feels alone without this love, but the relationship is not working out for that dream to happen. Even the therapy sessions she attends are not making it easier to let her lover go.
2. “Paralyzed” by NF
Song Year: 2015
NF somberly melodizes paralysis that occurs because of anxiety and depression. He questions the whereabouts of his feelings and searches for himself throughout the song. Highlighting that he is afraid to live but feels the same about dying, NF shows how he is searching for a balance to survive life.
3. “Silence” by Marshmello Featuring Khalid
Song Year: 2017
Marshmello provides the psychedelic music while Khalid artfully sings about how silence befalls the song narrator because he is having emotional trouble creating relationships. Anxiety sets in as he is uncomfortable with keeping silent because of the inability to tap into emotions to make a relationship happen.
Throughout the song, the narrator stays quiet because of fear of taking the next step forward. In the end, the song narrator finally breaks the silence to take the first step in developing a relationship.
4. “Anxiety” by blackbear Featuring FRND
Song Year: 2017
The artists, blackbear and FRND, discuss their anxiety with the girls they’re dating. As they think about their lovers, they feel anxious when not in their presence.
They continue to seek closure throughout the song even as they show fake smiles to their lovers. Both artists do not want to let their lovers go. While the song does not highlight why the girls give the boys anxiety, they have an issue within themselves as to why they feel this nervousness.
5. “Breathin” by Ariana Grande
Song Year: 2018
Ariana Grande released this song after the Manchester bombing occurred during one of her tours. While she has generally experienced anxiety, she contracted PTSD from that bombing incident.
She feels dizzy when thinking about her anxiety or if she is experiencing it at the moment. Those who know about her anxiety in the song suggest she gets medication for it. Grande recognizes that all she can do is breathe to get through the anxiety.
6. “Basket Case” by Green Day
Song Year: 1994
Billie Joe Armstrong highlights his anxiety disorder. Before he was diagnosed with panic disorder, he released this song as an outlet. In the song, he wants to whine about his anxiety. However, others tell him not to bore his girlfriend with those details. The anxiety is so bad that he freaks himself out because of his everyday emotions.
7. “Rose-Colored Boy” by Paramore
Song Year: 2017
Hayley Williams sings about how she is usually not an optimistic person like the boy discussed in the song. As she removes her rose-colored glasses, she recognizes her habit of crying out her emotions when anxious rather than being optimistic like the boy.
Crying it out makes her feel better rather than looking on the bright side. The song is more upbeat than the music usually used to discuss the subject.
8. “Happy Little Pill” by Troye Sivan
Song Year: 2014
Troye wrote and performed this song in tribute to a close friend experiencing depression and anxiety at the time. The happy little pill is the antidepressant that his friend was taking to feel the emotion and escape the numbness.
He highlights how his friend has to purchase happiness via antidepressants. Sivan highlights the difficulties of finding true happiness as his friend endures the constant nervousness that comes with depression.
9. “The Blackest Day” by Lana Del Rey
Song Year: 2015
Lana sadly melodizes the anxiety she experiences enduring an unexpected breakup. The lyrics highlight the five stages of grief. She is in denial as she isolates herself to try to heal from the tragic event when she sings the first verse.
The bridge shows her strong sense of anger while the chorus discusses depression. In the second verse, she attempts bargaining to get the relationship back. In the end, she recognizes that she is on her own.
10. “Anxiety” by B-Mike
Song Year: 2018
The narrator does not practice self-care and always puts others before himself. Instead, he tells his therapist that the pain medicines and antidepressants do not work to lessen his anxiety.
There is a conversation between the narrator and a therapist where he wants more medications, but the therapist asks about his feelings to discover why he wants the medicine. The lyrics delve into deeper and darker emotions as he contemplates pulling the trigger of a gun to commit suicide.
11. “Control” by Halsey
Song Year: 2015
Halsey reveals her feelings of anxiety from her bipolar disorder diagnosis in her teen years. As she navigates this anxiety, she wonders if she is really in control of her mind or if another entity has taken the wheel.
She is scared to delve into the thoughts in her mind that make her feel dark and lonely. She recognizes the foes in her mind and how low self-esteem triggers her anxiety.
