How Inside Out 2 Gives Insight into Self-Acceptance
Have you ever thought that your feelings control you? How do your feelings work? Well you will not find the answers to those in a movie, but you will find some great themes about yourself. Inside Out 2, the sequel to Pixar's beloved animated film Inside Out, continues to explore emotions and the inner workings of our minds. Just now earning over 1 billion dollars (you heard that right) worldwide in a few weeks. The characters in Inside Out originally personified the emotions Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, the film provides a unique way for adults and children to relate to their emotions and the emotions of others. This portrayal inside the mind is particularly effective in illustrating how different emotions interact and impact our well-being and sense of self. The sequel helps to show how your sense of self is very important and influenced by your emotions and experiences. How do you improve your sense of self? Let’s explore that further.
The importance of acknowledging and accepting a wide range of emotions is a great takeaway for us as adults. The main character, despite being a teenager, tries to suppress her emotions, especially anxiety, and this causes what happens with many of us which is an overcorrection by the brain. Has this ever happened to you? We might be worried about who we want to impress, and that can shape our sense of self into a pleasing personality. By showing that all emotions, even those typically viewed as negative, play a crucial role in maintaining mental health, Inside Out 2 reinforces the idea that it's okay to feel a variety of emotions. This acceptance leads to healthier emotional processing and greater resilience in the face of life's challenges, like making friends in the movie or who you are in real life. Knowing what you believe and not changing for others to impress or please them, keeps you authentic and in self.
Your sense of self develops over time, and continues to be changeable well into adulthood. Help your children know who they are to you and in themselves or to God, and you can help yourself know who you are as well. There are a lot more themes than identity in this movie, but we will cover those in another blog. If you need help with self-image, seek out a professional.