Photo Story: Royal & the Serpent Takes on Anxiety in “Overwhelmed”

As a mental health advocate, I depicted the song’s themes of feeling overwhelmed and hopeless due to anxiety.

Photos by Carolyn Parmer

“It’s like my ears are bleeding.”

“I get overwhelmed so easily.”

“What am I feeling?”

“My anxiety creeps inside of me / Makes it hard to breathe.”

“I should be fine / But it’s all too much.”

“I should be fine / But I’m not.”