Emotions as Taught by a Children’s Movie
I recently saw Inside Out 2 with my family, which was just released in theaters. Having watched the first movie at an age where my daughter was just beginning to understand her emotions more fully, we were extremely excited that the sequel was again relevant to her as she is now entering into adolescence. Besides being a fantastic family experience, I was once again blown away by the way that the broad human emotional experience was presented in the film. Both Inside Out movies depict emotions in a manner that is accessible for all audiences, and most importantly normalize all emotions across the spectrum. Emotions that may typically be seen as “negative” such as Anger, Sadness, and Anxiety are displayed in ways that allow audiences to understand that these emotions are an integral part of the human experience and should not be tamped down or ignored.
Anxiety is a new emotion that takes center stage in Inside Out 2. Without spoiling the movie, Anxiety is depicted as taking control of the main character, Riley, in an effort to help her make new friends and adjust to entering into high school. Partway through the movie, Anxiety ends up crippling Riley and negatively affecting her overall sense of self. By the end of the movie, Anxiety has found a place within Riley’s emotions and has been honed to be present when Riley is in need of Anxiety to stir her into action, such as when Riley needs to prepare for an upcoming test.
The way that Anxiety is depicted in this movie (similarly to how Sadness was depicted in the first movie) is a very emotionally mature way to view emotions. No emotions in either movie are seen as negative or positive, and all emotions are displayed as necessary in some way by the end of both films. While the idea of emotions being neutral and normal seems easy enough, many children and adults have a hard time accepting more challenging emotional states and think that they shouldn’t feel certain things. This often results in people either dismissing these emotions or becoming consumed by them.
Much of mindfulness practice in a therapeutic setting involves assisting clients with accepting their emotions and approaching emotions from a non-judgmental standpoint. The fact that a children’s movie shows all emotions as essential in varying capacities allows for more conversations around emotional health and intelligence between parents and children utilizing a friendly family experience as a guide. I highly recommend both Inside Out movies for anyone, either child or adult, who is looking for a way to better understand emotions as a whole or even to better accept one’s emotional range as a healthy and normal part of the human experience.
