Over the fourth of July weekend, T and I went to see Disney & Pixar’s latest venture, Inside Out. It’s about a girl named Riley whose family moves to San Francisco from Minnesota and how she copes with the change… but in a unique way. See, they show the primary emotions that guide us – fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and joy – as tiny little people inside our brains.
It’s a great film. It’s silly but endearing and teaches you something. Joy and Sadness don’t get along well and Joy basically controls Riley. After the move, Sadness goes a little haywire… and she and Joy wind up lost inside other parts of the brain.
I found myself connecting a little too much with Joy.
And T found himself identifying with Sadness.
My internal reaction to that?
Nah, I figured it out when he did mostly.
Joy learns by the end of the movie that Sadness has a place and strengths too – and that Riley needs Sadness so that she can have Joy. It was an awesome movie, and you should definitely see it like yesterday.
It was a great way to explain the necessity of all our emotions and how important it is to let yourself feel them. It wasn’t a bad way to explore depression either. The coolest thing about it is that there is science to back a lot of this up.
I get overly emotional at the movies, especially kids ones for some reason. I don’t like it, but I let myself feel the sadness throughout this movie. It very much helped me to quickly process the things I’ve been through in the last few years. I used to deny my sadness, then I let it take over causing horrible depression and anxiety (thanks Fear!).
I recognized that always using joy for me was a coping mechanism for what I grew up in. I needed to be super positive or I wasn’t going to survive. Now that I’m an adult and on my own, I can allow myself to process each emotion. They each have their place.
Disgust helps me try to look good and fit in.
Anger helps protect me. Honestly, so does Fear.
Sadness… She helps me process what I’ve been through.
And Joy? She helps me be me. I still probably need her the most, but each of these emotions is important in their own way.
What emotions do you feel are in charge of you? And which do you need to work on allowing?