4 Lessons from Inside Out

Inside Out - Pixar

Have you seen the film Inside Out?  We (myself, my husband and two daughters aged 9 and 5) saw it over the summer holidays and it has cropped up into conversation many times since.  It is one of those great family films that can be enjoyed on several different levels but what's more, it's given us as a family another tool by which to talk about our emotions, thoughts and feelings.

If you haven't seen the film yet (I say yet as I highly recommend it), here's a quick synopsis without any plot spoilers so you're safe to read on...

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control centre inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school. Written by Pixar

I discovered a couple of very interesting articles about the film which I thought might be of interest to you.  The first article (which you can find here) highlights 4 lessons we can take away from the film and is particularly useful for discussions and conversations with children...

1. Happiness is not just about joy
2. Don't try to force happiness
3. Sadness is vital to our well-being
4. Mindfully embrace - rather than suppress - tough emotions

The second article (which you can find here) highlights 5 things the film teachers us about emotions...

1. All our emotions exist for a purpose
2. To have emotions is to have a compass
3. Our realities and memories are filtered through our emotional lens
4. Having the language to talk about emotions is empowering
5. Feeling our emotions is an universal human experience