Rising Star Julia Michaels Reveals What It’s Like To Live With Anxiety

There are so many people in this world who are suffering from different levels of anxiety. One of them is the rising star from Iowa, Julia Michaels. Despite what it seems to be quite a late start to be a singer, Michaels has been part of the music industry ever since she was a teenager. In fact, she has managed to write a couple of songs to some of the biggest names in the music limelight of today such as Selena Gomez, Gwen Stefani, Fifth Harmony, Demi Lovato and Hailee Steinfeld. Earlier this year, she finally released her debut single entitled Issues and has managed to get the 11th spot on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the despite her early success, the 24-year-old singer revealed that she has been suffering from anxiety disorder.

Last night was my last show of 2017! This year has completely changed my life. I went from hibernating in a studio and being scared of myself to conquering so many of my fears. I was overwhelmingly my own worst enemy and I said no to doing something that I knew I wanted for a long time but never had the confidence to try. But I'm so happy I have 🙂 this year has been BANANAS! I released my first single, my first mini album, did my first tour, got to be on the cover of BILLBOARD MAG and got nominated for my FIRST GRAMMY! LIKE, WHAT??!! I've gotten to meet so many of my fans and also gain so many new ones along the way. And let me just say that I truly have the most supportive and unconditional fans. I couldn't do this without you. ill be taking so many memories with me this year and looking forward to making SO many more 😊. I have so many new family members this year to be grateful for to. Leaving 2017 is feeling super bittersweet for me, but im so excited to continue growing, connecting, and sharing everything in my soul with you guys. 😊 I love you all and I'm super excited for 2018!! Let's do this! 📸 @ryanpavlov

A post shared by Julia Michaels (@imjmichaels) on Dec 18, 2017 at 10:30am PST

MICHAELS ON WHAT IT’S LIKE LIVING WITH ANXIETY

The singer revealed that she only started her therapy this year and it was too far from being ideal. Despite having all the symptoms and panic attacks ever since she was 18, this is the first time that she has agreed to get treated. In an essay that she wrote for Glamour magazine, she basically explained what she does to be able to calm herself down when she’s having a panic attack. Michaels said that she would take a sit and form a ball figure using her body and start rocking herself back and forth until she would start feeling okay. The singer also admitted that she kept on thinking the same thing every single time and that is the fact that she simply does not want to live like that for the rest of her life, that broken feeling that keeps on coming back definitely stops her from living the life she wants.

"Anxiety feels like an earthquake shaking your entire body and can last for minutes, hours, or sometimes days." –@imjmichaels

Julia opens up about living with anxiety in her @glamourmag article:https://t.co/OtOtfJj7qX pic.twitter.com/s7ha9ghs0U

— Republic Records (@RepublicRecords) December 22, 2017

Michaels said that it was that moment that she realized that she indeed need to get professional help and get herself a therapist to sort out what exactly she needs to do to be able to cope with her anxiety. However, the 24-year-old singer admitted that the first few sessions were incredibly difficult for her to deal with. It is a fact that getting started is one of the most difficult things to do, she even admitted that all she was doing was to cry and panic the entire time during her session.

UNDERSTANDING JULIA MICHAELS’ ANXIETY

Michaels is of course not alone, in fact, she is not the only one who does this during therapy sessions. This is all according to New York-based psychologist Michael Brustein. He said that the intense emotions during the first couple therapy sessions are perfectly normal and is definitely not uncommon. Brustein explained that this is caused by the issues that are finally being confronted which results in emotional outbursts. People with anxiety often suppress their thoughts and feelings so when they finally have to face it all, they just crack.

Michaels turned out to have a lot of traumatic experiences during her childhood years and all of those things have been suppressed for so long that it is getting to her now. Dr. Martin Anthony of Ryverson University in Canada also believes that someone who is not normally used to being able to verbalize the thoughts and feelings that often bothers them in a really bad way may have panic attacks just like what’s happening to the 24-year-old singer. Panic crying or what they call as the visceral physiological response may be the only way for them to express what they are actually feeling. The treatment itself could trigger these emotions that they have been trying to push into the back of their minds, so when it is confronted, the patient normally breaks down.

HOW HER CAREER IS HELPING HER DEAL WITH IT

In an online essay that the singer wrote for Glamour, she revealed that being able to sing her song with her fans actually soothes her. Her very first single Issues is one of the most popular tunes that you would hear today and she said that she totally feels incredible when people sing it with her.

Okay George, you're legit. This is the coolest thing EVER. Love alllll the fan art/hand written lyrics you've been sending in. Working on something Uber special with some super special people so keep sending in all your stuff. Tag me so I can see them all! Love you!

A post shared by Julia Michaels (@imjmichaels) on Dec 1, 2017 at 2:42pm PST

Michaels said that it is as if like she is talking to her fans with her sing and that they are sharing their own stories by actually feeling every line of the song as they sing it. It is the time when she just feels alive and free which makes her stronger.