It started in 2019 with a single post on Facebook: “Kids and anxiety, who is dealing with it?” While I received a few public responses from friends willing to be open and honest about their struggles on that very public forum, the private messages overwhelmed me. It was as if I gave everyone permission to talk about the 10,000-pound elephant in the room. Suddenly, people I thought I knew well began to share heartbreaking stories I’d never heard. While each was remarkable and unique, they were also commonplace…too commonplace. So many, like me, were confused about where to turn for help.

When we set out to make this film, we had no idea what was ahead for all of us. A few weeks before COVID-19 shut down our country, we sent out 14 cameras to our cast so they could document their lives and experiences learning to cope during the pandemic—in real time. This unexpected turn gave us an insight into anxiety through a whole new lens. The question of anxiety and who is dealing with it suddenly felt moot. Because we all were, and most of us still are. The statistics from when we started filming in 2019 to where we are today are downright frightening—and getting worse.