Hey y’all! So I was going to write about something else today, but I had an interesting discussion earlier about Inside Out, so I decided to talk about that today. Inside Out is one of my favorite movies, so that shouldn’t be too hard. Now, if you haven’t seen this movie, stop reading IMMEDIATELY and go watch it. Besides the fact that it’s phenomenal, I’m not providing a summary this time around, so it’s imperative that you watch it so we’re all on the same page. When you’re done, pull up a chair, and let’s talk Inside Out.
This movie is all about emotions
Mainly how emotions, or the lack thereof, affect us and our interpersonal relationships. The five emotions that control Riley are Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear. The idea to separate them this way really came from two places. First, was a conversation with psychologist Paul Ekman, who early in his career identified six core emotions: the ones mentioned above and surprise. Second, was that it would’ve been hectic to have 30+ emotions in the movie. Which makes sense.
But while those points are interesting, I really want to talk about a few things that really stood out to me regarding emotions.
One, we all have emotions and we need to embrace them
One of the things that I found interesting was how Riley went from basically only experiencing joy, to having plenty of complex, mixed emotions. Because all of our emotions serve a purpose. Like I said in the newsletter about anger, emotions give an indication about our current state of being, i.e. anger reveals to us that a boundary has been broken.
Incidentally, at least in modern Western civilization, for a long time emotions carried stigma around them. One of my favorite lyrics is from teachme by Musiq Soulchild, where he said, “I was told the true definition of a man was to never cry”. Which is a simple example of a more endemic problem. Women, generally speaking, in Western society are allowed more freedom with their emotions, while men are expected to “be men” or be tough. Which to some means that they’re not allowed to express what they’re feeling.
In men, this has a disastrous effect on quality of life. Emotional suppression is detrimental to all, not just men, who actively push away and ignore what they feel. People try to be stoic, even though ironically the Stoic philosophy is about intelligent emotional processing.
And ironically, not addressing those emotions can seep into other aspects of our lives. Most people aren’t as good as compartmentalizing as they think they are, and those unresolved feelings can have detrimental impacts on every part of our being, from impacting our bodies, to how we treat ourselves and others.
Your emotions are trying to tell you something, so listen
They are letting us know about our life, so it’s important to take note of how you feel throughout your day. Because unresolved or unprocessed emotions will eventually resurface, disrupting your well-being. So address those emotions ASAP, learn whatever lessons you need to, and keep on keeping on.
Two, sadness is key
Many people try to mask or ignore sadness when they feel it. As we discussed above, that’s not at all healthy or helpful. Because, in my opinion, sadness is one of the most important emotions that we encounter.
Sadness, to me, is interesting because it’s helpful under a wide variety of situations. But it does one particular function: it helps us deal with loss, and the change that comes from it. Which is crucial to note. All people deal with sadness, because all people deal with loss and all people deal with change.
But that’s not a bad thing. Hell, I’d argue that it’s one of the best things that could happen to us. Not that we should go seeking sad situations or say like “hey, I’m glad your dog died so you can feel sad”, but when we feel sad about something, we can look at it, appreciate what once was, accept it will never be the same again, and prepare ourselves for our next steps. The feeling and processing of sadness allows for us to accomplish that, so we shouldn’t try to hide from it.
Three, and lastly, depression is real, no matter your age
One of the reasons Inside Out hits me so hard is because it talks about depression in a very real and relatable way. Basically, because Riley lost Joy and Sadness, she became incapable of dealing with the aftermath of the move from Minnesota to San Francisco. She couldn’t be happy, but she also couldn’t process the feelings surrounding her change in circumstances.
But people experience depression on a daily basis. Especially since the advent of social media, depression rates have been on the rise. So it’s important to have conversations about depression and what it means. And to get help if you need it, as well as to give help if you are able.
We all experience negative emotions, and like Riley, we might experience something much worse. So check in on your friends, and be willing to sit down with your people. And also, if you’re going through that, know that there are people that love you and want to help, so reach out to them. Don’t be afraid to go get professional help as well.
Facing your feelings doesn’t make you weak
Far from it in fact. Admitting that you’re not perfect and being vulnerable is one of the ultimate acts of strength. It means that you’re willing to take an honest look at yourself and better yourself in one of the best possible ways. And if you need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always willing to lend an ear. Inside Out has quite a few lessons we can learn, and hopefully we’ll feel them in our spirits and apply them to our lives.
There’s quite alot we can learn from Inside Out, about ourselves and our emotions
I want to thank y’all for talking humans with me today. If you enjoyed the content, please subscribe! And if you know someone that might enjoy it as well, please share! As always, feel free to leave a comment, send a message via the Contact Me page, or hit me up on Instagram @ryokeniii. And don’t forget to talk humans (and emotions) with someone this week. Ciao!
P.S. shout out to Tyler, The Creator for getting me through this post. IGOR is sick, check it out.