Anxiety (Julia Michaels song)

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Michaels said "I was like, 'I think it'd be really awesome to have a song with two women on it that struggle with the same thing, that are talking about something other than two women fighting for a guy's attention, or something like that. It's almost like a female empowerment song without it being a female empowerment song".^[2] Upon its release, Gomez said on Instagram: "This song is really close to my heart as I've experienced anxiety and I know a lot of my friends do too."^[3]

"Anxiety" lyrically chronicles struggles with mental health. Musically, it is composed of "snaps and a razor-sharp guitar",^[4] as well as "an upbeat acoustic lick and earworm of a melody". Gomez and Michaels "trade cleverly arranged verses about the often-isolating experience of anxiety and depression".^[3]

Paul Fletcher from iHeart Radio said "The track is centered around a plucky acoustic guitar part that settles into a slick pop groove. Both Michaels and Gomez offer endearingly frank verses about grappling with depression and social anxiety, though their lyrics are also tinged with a bit of self-deprecating humor."^[2] Ashley Iasimone, writing for Billboard, called the single "poignant".^[5]