{"id":5853,"date":"2024-06-14T22:12:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T06:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breathingspace\/?p=5853"},"modified":"2024-06-14T22:12:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-15T06:12:48","slug":"from-anxiety-to-joy-inside-out-2-and-the-skylight-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/breathingspace\/2024\/06\/from-anxiety-to-joy-inside-out-2-and-the-skylight-app\/","title":{"rendered":"From Anxiety to Joy: Inside Out 2 and the Skylight App"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Don\u2019t miss Disney\u2019s Inside Out 2<\/a><\/em><\/span>. The new film highlights both mental health and spiritual wellness. And there\u2019s an app for that!<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/a>
EXPANDED HEADQUARTERS \u2014 Disney and Pixar\u2019s \u201cInside Out 2\u201d returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley, where headquarters expands to make room for new Emotions. Pictured from L-R: Joy (voice of Amy Poehler), Embarrassment (voice of Paul Walter Hauser), Envy (voice of Ayo Edebiri), Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke), Disgust (voice of Liza Lapira), Anger (voice of Lewis Black), Fear (voice of Tony Hale) and Sadness (voice of Phyllis Smith). Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen, \u201cInside Out 2\u201d releases only in theaters June 14, 2024. \u00a9 2024 Disney\/Pixar. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n***
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\u00a0<\/p>\n
**
Adults often give Disney films a pass, expecting little more than heroes, magic, and princesses who save the day. But Disney\u2019s June 2024 release isn\u2019t just for kids.<\/strong> Sure, children will love the show\u2014the one sitting next to us laughed all the way to the end. But if you\u2019re looking for a smart and spiritual look at the inner self, you\u2019ll find it in Inside Out 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n
**
Spoiler alert: this article reveals plot points. But, if you haven\u2019t yet seen the film, this article will also give you some perspective as you watch it.<\/strong><\/p>\n
**
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
New Phase of Life\u2014New Emotions<\/h2>\n
Nine years after the release of the original Inside Out<\/a><\/em><\/span>, the second film follows lovable Riley into puberty.<\/strong> The original movie introduces the audience to Riley\u2019s emotions, portrayed as characters inside her head. If you fell in love with personified feelings named Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness, you\u2019ll meet new players who arrive at the onset of adolescence.<\/p>\n
Disney depicts this season of mental and emotional change as a wrecking ball crashing through a window.<\/strong> A demolition team inside Riley\u2019s mind sets up a sign that says, \u201cPardon our dust. Puberty is messy.\u201d New characters such as Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui begin to take over, threatening Riley\u2019s Belief System.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Belief System and Sense of Self<\/h2>\n*******
**
According to the movie (and good psychology), pleasurable and painful experiences create good and bad memories. <\/strong>These memories and recurring thoughts create your Belief System. Growing like a flower in that Belief System you\u2019ll find your Sense of Self.<\/p>\n
**
Riley\u2019s young Sense of Self says, \u201cMom and Dad are proud of me,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m kind,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m a really good friend,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m a winner.\u201d However, once Anxiety steps in, Joy gets pushed out and everything starts to change. <\/strong>Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment join in the chaos, eventually resulting in Joy and other emotions getting bottled up and suppressed. Then, Anxiety sends Riley\u2019s Sense of Self to the back of her mind. In place of the Riley, we know and love, the new emotions want to build a new Sense of Self, \u201ca brand new her.\u201d Riley\u2019s original Sense of Self threatens to fade like a guttering candle. It\u2019s up to Joy and the gang to save the day.<\/p>\n
**
*******\u00a0<\/p>\n
Puberty as an Allegory<\/h2>\n
Aside from a tale of sin and judgment, many progressive Christian scholars consider the story of Adam and Eve an allegory of puberty. <\/strong>Eden represents childhood innocence, with an integrated Sense of Self and union with The Divine. In this view, the primordial couple falls, not because they bite an apple, but because they allow emotions like Envy, Anxiety (fear), Ennui (sloth), and Embarrassment (Pride) to take control. (Note the connection to the seven deadly sins<\/a><\/span>.)<\/p>\n
As humanity develops to an adolescent stage, a new Sense of Self develops, independent of its relationship with The Divine.<\/strong> In this interpretation, Adam and Eve\u2019s \u201csin\u201d has nothing to do with actual forbidden fruit. Instead, \u201cthe fall\u201d comes about due to the disintegration of the Self, emotional dysregulation, and a delusion of being disconnected from God and creation. What humanity needs is not absolution, but a renewed or resurrected Sense of Self.<\/p>\n
So, Jesus says, \u201cLet the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it (Luke 18:16-17<\/a><\/span>).\u201d In other words, we return to Eden, or the realm of Heaven, when we reintegrate our Sense of Self. <\/strong>And Jesus\u2019 way of love helps you do that.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Exorcising Anxiety<\/h2>\n***********
**
In Inside Out 2<\/em>, the recurring phrase \u201cI\u2019m not good enough\u201d replaces Riley\u2019s original \u201cI\u2019m a good person.\u201d <\/strong>Joy temporarily despairs, admitting she doesn\u2019t know how to stop Anxiety. \u201cMaybe we can\u2019t. Maybe this is what happens when you grow up. You feel less joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
**
***********When Anxiety pushes Joy out and the negative emotions take over, Riley begins to do things that religious people might call \u201csinful.\u201d<\/strong> But it\u2019s noteworthy that these misdeeds stem from her Anxiety, and are not its root cause. Sin isn\u2019t so much the \u201cbad stuff you do.\u201d It\u2019s the negative thoughts and emotions you let control you.<\/p>\n
As Riley\u2019s Sense of Self continues to die, she seems controlled by Anxiety.<\/strong> Her heart and thoughts race. All her emotions combine to form a hurricane that Anxiety has produced. Like Jesus rebuking the storm (Mark 4:35-41<\/a><\/span>), Joy steps into the cyclone and says, \u201cYou don\u2019t get to choose who Riley is.\u201d Like Jesus casting out demons (Matthew 8; Mark 5<\/a><\/span>), Joy says, \u201cAnxiety, you need to let her go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Restored Sense of Self<\/h2>\n*************
**
*************Immediately, the storm dies down inside Riley\u2019s mind.<\/strong> Joy restores Riley\u2019s Sense of Self that says, \u201cI\u2019m a good person.\u201d As long as Riley\u2019s thoughts and emotions compete, chaos reigns. But when they combine to embrace Anxiety, peace prevails and Riley recovers.<\/p>\n
Yes, this is a Disney movie. So, you know there\u2019s going to be a happy ending.<\/strong> But it would be overly optimistic to think that troubling thoughts and emotions can be commanded away, never to return. Jesus even warned that our exorcised demons can come back if we don\u2019t maintain our spiritual house (Matthew 12:43-45<\/a><\/span>). If challenging thoughts and emotions are a problem for you, where can you turn for help?<\/p>\n
<\/h2>\nIntegrating Body, Mind, and Spirit<\/h2>\n****
Healthy spiritual practices that integrate body, mind, and spirit can help you sustain mental and emotional wellness.<\/strong> When I was a pastor, I always encouraged prayer, worship, singing, reading the Bible, and service to others as spiritual practices that give believers a sense of groundedness. (Click here to read my article, \u201cCan Religion And Spirituality Benefit Mental Health?\u201d<\/a><\/span>)<\/p>\n
According to Gallup\u2019s Faith and Wellness<\/a><\/span> study, \u00a0\u201cA growing body of medical and psychological research demonstrates that people with a stronger spiritual or faith commitment often have better health and wellbeing outcomes than those without.\u201d<\/strong> This study statistically shows that religious people tend to experience more enjoyment, feel more well-rested, and feel more respected than those without faith. They also tend to make friends more easily and have a stronger support network. They trend toward higher optimism. On the whole, religion is healthy (as long as it isn\u2019t toxic<\/a><\/span>).<\/p>\n
Yet, the Gallup study says, \u201cOver the past 15 years, religiosity has declined in high-income countries but remained relatively stable in less wealthy countries.<\/strong> In the U.S., adults today are less religious than Americans in the past by almost any measure.\u201d As a result, people need ways to integrate body, mind, and spirit outside of religious institutions.<\/p>\n
<\/h2>\nThe Skylight App<\/h2>\n****
As a behavioral health specialist, I invite my clients who are interested to engage in meditation. One of the best tools I have found for this is the Skylight app<\/a><\/span>. <\/strong>My clients have enjoyed the app\u2019s interreligious prayers, affirmations, meditations, and breathwork. Exercises include Tai Chi, yoga, stretching, and more. Caring instructors focus on anxiety, sleep, stress, loneliness, inner peace, self-esteem, confidence, and other healing needs. I use the app and have shared it with many who have found it useful.<\/p>\n
If, like Riley, you want a healthy Belief System, the Skylight app<\/a><\/span> can help.<\/strong> In the movie, Anxiety uses imagination to concoct a series of catastrophic situations in a potential future. Joy calms Anxiety by saying, \u201cNone of that is happening right now. So why don\u2019t we take a seat in our special chair? We can\u2019t control whether Riley makes the team, but what can we control?\u201d Instructors in the Skylight app<\/a> <\/span>do the same thing. They gently remind you that you can control your reaction to situations. They invite you to breathe deeply and be at peace.<\/p>\n
You can access Skylight on your computer. Or, you can get the app, available for iPhone and Android. This way you can take it with you and make wherever you are, your place of peace.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the Inside Out<\/h2>\n*******************
**
The movie concludes with Joy integrating her thoughts and gaining a degree of emotional regulation.<\/strong> Joy says, \u201cEvery bit of Riley makes her who she is. And we love our girl\u2014every messy, beautiful part of her.\u201d Since Joy and all the emotions are a part of Riley, it\u2019s actually Riley saying, \u201cI love myself\u2014every messy, beautiful part of me.\u201d In making Inside Out 2<\/em>, Disney wishes the same self-love for you. The folks at Skylight agree, and they want to help you out. So, watch the movie, say a prayer, and try the app. Get to know yourself from the inside out.<\/p>\n
**
*******************\u00a0<\/p>\n
For related reading, check out my other articles:<\/h3>\n\nPain is Inevitable; Suffering is Optional<\/a><\/span><\/li>\nInner Healing: Prescriptions for Medication and Meditation<\/a><\/span><\/li>\nMake The Devil Meditate: Jesus and Parts Therapy<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"*********************
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*********************Don\u2019t miss Disney\u2019s Inside Out 2. The new film highlights both mental health and spiritual wellness. And there\u2019s an app for that! \u00a0 Adults often give Disney films a pass, expecting little more than heroes, magic, and princesses who save the day. But Disney\u2019s June 2024 release isn\u2019t just for kids. Sure, children will love […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4628,"featured_media":5856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1263,6],"tags":[4029,4035,4020,4023,4032,4026],"class_list":["post-5853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","category-spirituality","tag-anxiety","tag-belief-system","tag-disney","tag-inside-out-2","tag-sense-of-self","tag-skylight-app"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Anxiety to Joy: Inside Out 2 and the Skylight App<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don\u2019t miss Disney\u2019s Inside Out 2. The new film highlights both mental health and spiritual wellness. 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