Anxiety. This is more than a mood. This is not just a feeling.
Feeling anxious is a normal response to a stressful situation and many people temporarily experience feeling worried, nervous or dread. Anxiety becomes a problem when the feelings don’t go away. The anxious feelings stay after the stressful experience. Sometimes, anxiety doesn’t need an event to trigger the feelings of dread. Anxiety affects the mind, body and emotions. Fear has the loudest voice and interferes with daily living.
There have been many songs written about experiencing anxiety. Two examples are “Anxiety” by Julia Michaels (2021) and “Thy Know My Name” by Big Little Lions (2015).
Julia Michaels describes anxiety as
“…I try my best to be social. I make all these plans with friends, and hope they call and cancel. Then I overthink about the things I’m missing. Now I’m wishing I was with ‘em…”
Through her lyrics, Julia Michaels has described anxiety as wanting to connect with people but becoming fearful as the time gets closer to meet up. She also identified anxiety as being continuous thoughts that she can’t control.
“…I got all these thoughts, running through my mind. All the damn time and I can’t seem to shut it off…”
Big Little Lions also describes the anxious continuous thinking spiral with the lyrics:
“…All of my noise in the air, my thoughts can be seen from everywhere. I try, I try to hide the sound, but these words they keep spinning, round and round, round and round…”
Big Little Lions go on to further describe that they try to calm the thoughts down, but it is a struggle as they cannot separate anxiety from their identity which results in the anxiety spiral.
“…These wars that I fight from within, I don’t know where they end, and I begin. I try, I try to calm them down. But these thoughts they keep spinning, round and round, round and round…”
So, how can counselling help?
Well, counsellors are trained in identifying unhealthy thought patterns and in techniques to change the script. As a counsellor, I like to use an integrated approach, tailoring the interventions to your individual needs.
Focusing on continual anxious thinking, as your counsellor I might use the CBT triangle to identity the unhealthy thoughts, feelings or behaviours. I might suggest mindfulness interventions including visualisations, using sand tray, deep breathing, mantras, or art projects. Other interventions that might be appropriate could focus on distracting your thoughts by connecting with nature, getting active or listening to music.
There is research suggesting that listening to music is a viable treatment option for anxiety. Listening to music has been associated with reducing anxiety symptoms including slowing down the heart rate, decreasing blood pressure, interrupting the stress response and reducing cortisol levels. Listening to music also aids in emotional regulation and enhances wellbeing.
Anxiety affects around 3 million Australians. If you are needing support in managing this mental health condition, I welcome you to my counselling room where support is offered in a warm, gentle, non-judgemental atmosphere. 
To make an appointment with Cassia, you can Book Online. Alternatively, you can call Vision Psychology Brisbane on (07) 3088 5422.
References
Bailes, F., Harney, C., Havelka, J., & Johnson, J. (2022). Is music listening an effective intervention for reducing anxiety? A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies. Musicae Scientiae. 27(2). 278-298. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649211046979
Beyond Blue. Anxiety. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/anxiety
Big Little Lions. https://www.biglittlelions.com/
Camarena, V. A. T., & Gutierrez, E. O. F. (2015). Music therapy in generalised anxiety disorder. The Arts in Psychotherapy. 44. 19-24. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2015.02.003 0197-4556/
Felman, A. (2025). What to know about anxiety. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323454
Gonzales, E. (2019). Selena Gomez and Julia Michaels get real about anxiety in a candid new song. Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a26028613/selena-gomez-julia-michaels-anxiety-lyrics/
Haase, C. (2025). Depression and the CBT Triangle. https://www.visionpsychology.com/cassia-haase/
Haase, C. (2025). Using Sand Tray in Counselling. https://www.visionpsychology.com/using-sand-tray-in-counselling/