Inside Out 2: a children’s movie with beautiful graphics or a film about the deeper reality of human cognition?
The sequel follows Riley as she begins to feel new emotions during the summer break before entering her freshman year of high school. We’re introduced to new emotions Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui.
Anxiety becomes the main character and is portrayed as being the villain after taking control. She makes decisions that are out of character for Riley’s personality in attempts to try to fit in with the high school girls. Ultimately, Anxiety’s choices create turmoil between friendships and a breakage of Riley’s sense of self.
Growing up, I never truly was exposed to the term anxiety. I always believed that it was related to being nervous and dismissed it as something minor. I had this idea that an individual can simply push through the fear; but as I learned, anxiety isn’t as easy to control.
As I entered into a new world called high school, I finally started to experience anxiety. At the time, I was unaware of what I was suffering from and believed that I was just a shy person who was always nervous which was a little out of character for me.
I feared almost everything. A constant concern and worry of the unknown especially when it came to school. I was terrified of speaking in class, frightened to talk to my peers, and even self conscious of the way I walked on campus. I felt everyone was evaluating each and every move I made and judging me. I lived in a constant state of debilitating anxiety.
One quote from the film stated by Anxiety was, “My job is to protect her from the scary stuff she can’t see. I plan for the future.”
That is exactly what anxiety is.
I always thought about the future rather than staying present in the moment. I felt responsible and wise for planning for the future but in reality, I was just scared and tried to protect myself. My decisions and actions were decided out of fear. Even with a decision, I worried if It was a mistake.
Anxiety has not always been kind to me. While I planned for safety, I lost friendships, missed out on opportunities, and suffered from depression.
In the film, Joy said, “Maybe this is what happens when you grow up. You feel less joy.”
This quote made me feel emotional. When I think back to my younger self and how carefree I was, it fills me with a bittersweet feeling. Becoming an adult has its challenges especially when responsibilities begin to arise. Learning to navigate through this crazy world has intensified my anxiety.
I do wish I was informed sooner about this mental health condition and how much it contributed to my life and well being. Even as an adult, I still suffer from anxiety and am now learning how to manage it in my daily life through the support of therapeutic advice and my loved ones.
In the end, this film resonated with me deeply. It demonstrated to me that not every emotion is horrible even though at times it may make me feel like it’s the end of the world. These emotions are what make me human and special in my own way. Without my anxiety, I could be careless with my work and for the things I feel are important to me.
The biggest lesson I took away from this film is to learn to free myself from the control I gave to my anxiety. The world is not as scary as I make it out to be. This distortion I created is simply that, a falsehood of reality.
