Inside-out is an absolute must-see animation of all time. I became so interested in the 1st one because they have said it was based on the studies of micro-expression expert analyst, Dr. Paul Ekman. He was one of my idols and the time I was learning body language I became familiar with his works and studied some of his books. So, after finding out that there will be a sequel to part of the animation, I wondered what could be added and after seeing the teaser and knowing more complex emotions I couldn’t wait to watch it. As an adult and life-coach I knew there should be more than the basic emotions shown in part 1 of the animation.
As expected, the sequel had tapped on more complexes emotions as Reily (human character) grown to a teen. Though the entire story (as the story alone and script perse, had room for development) was looking for an excuse to introduce some other emotions, but what caught my eyes was a new character called Pouchy! Pouchy was a belt bag which seems to carry many useful instruments and stuffs for the character.
Maybe deep inside we all have a Pouchy, where there are a lot of stuffs which can help us to get two where we want, or at least there are a lot of stuffs that we can compromise its usage to get us to our goals (like as shown in the movie, using dynamites to reach to headquarter).
Maybe that’s a simple way of showing how life coaches like me, believe, we have all the necessary tools to help us grow and feel great. Though the process may sometimes be hard, time consuming and out of routine but it can be the best way to help us;
Anger: I have an idea, but I really don’t like it.
Joy: [encouragingly] Anger, Riley needs us.
Anger: [slightly reluctantly] Oh, Pouchy!
Another highlight of animation was when all the negative beliefs started to connect to Reily’s subconscious tree. And how it influenced the shapes of the tree and later from there it influenced the thoughts, then the emotions, then words and then actions.
One should understand that all the experiences we have in life since childhood, shape our beliefs, no matter beautiful or sad. That itself leads to how we can label the emotions at each moment of our lives as we feel them. Living in the moment means to be able to identify the current emotions at any given time and hence be able to act accordingly and respond responsibly.
Putting all the previous points together was the climax of the movie, in which for me was the moment Reily, led by Anxiety, felt so stressed in the game that caused her a panic attack.
It was then when happiness hugged the tree (Reily) and all the emotions joined (made me teary eyes!) showing the 5 steps to manage panic attacks and stresses:
- Put one hand on the chest and another on the stomach (where you feel stress and tension in)
- Take deep breaths and feel the connection of your hands and your body.
- Focus on the temperature of your hands on your chest and stomach.
- Take deep breaths and pay attention to the environment. What you see, the temperature, the smell, the sounds, the emotions around you.
- Focus on sympathetic heartwarming affirmations (from the beliefs system tree) and repeat them (better if verbally)
It was so fascinating how all the emotions gathered (because they are all our own emotions whom want to help us feel good) and the hugging (on technique in compassion is self-hug).
That few seconds of the movie alone, had a lot to teach and learn from.
[last lines]
[presses a few controls on the console to retrieve a happy/sad memory. Cut to Riley showing her parents a passing grade, to their joy]
- Joy: She’s super smart.
- Sadness: [cut to Riley making a slapshot at a hockey game] And great at hockey.
- Disgust: [cut to Riley playing the guitar in her room, with Bree and Grace nodding their heads to the music] She’s really creative.
- Ennui: [cut back to the emotions at the console] She can be bored, but never boring.
- Joy: But she can be a little sarcastic from time to time.
[cut to Riley doing the dishes in annoyance, while her parents look glaringly at her]
- Fear: [cut to Riley standing in front of a mirror, preparing to cut her hair with a pair of scissors] She can have really bad ideas.
- Anger: [cut to Riley breaking a pepper grinder in a store and hastily attempting to fix it, puts it back and walks away, while the broken pepper grinder falls apart] Occasionally, she can do the wrong thing.
- Joy: [cut to Riley sulking on her bed while her parents comfort her] And sometimes, she can be too hard on herself.
[cut to the emotions gathering around Riley’s complex and evolving Sense of Self]
- Joy: [voice over narration] But every bit of Riley makes her who she is, and we love all of our girl. Every messy, beautiful piece of her.
[cut to Riley opening her locker at school and blowing a bit of her hair to the side while looking in her mirror. Riley feels her phone vibrate, notifying her that Coach Roberts sent an email regarding whether or not she made the Firehawks. She opens it and reads it. She looks up with a large smile, implying she made it the team]
All these emotions are making who we are, the first thing we can do is stop labeling them as good or bad emotions. They are all there to help us and we can grow in a way to use them consciously and unconsciously in our advantage. Because the are all beautiful and must to have.