Characters from Disney Pixar's movie Inside Out. l to r Fear, Disgust, Sadness, Joy, & Anger.
I cannot think of a movie that does a better job of showing and explaining "Team Me" than Disney Pixar's Inside Out. In this movie, we are granted a glimpse inside the minds of the three main characters Riley, Mom, and Dad. Each character has a council, or a team that works together to determine the behaviors and decisions that the individual makes. "Team Me" is composed of (My Emotions) the emotions fear, disgust, sadness, joy, and anger. I won't spoil the movie for you (it is over 6 years old but maybe you haven't gotten around to this one yet). Back to my point, this movie does an awesome job of showing the relationship between what we feel and what we do.
None of our emotions are villainous. They are all a part of the team and they are parts that love us deeply. Each part/ emotion reacts to experiences the only way it is able depending upon the emotion it represents. Each emotion serves as an important messenger that works tirelessly to equip us with information that is for us, and about us. While we often think that our emotion is directed at the "trigger" or activating event (the person, thing, or event that precedes the feeling), the emotion is merely a result of or beliefs about that event. This private conversation between our inner thoughts and emotional responses, is often reduced to white noise that plays constantly in the backgrounds of our minds. When we lack the focus and emotional intelligence needed to decipher these messages, we begin to believe that our emotions are factual automatic responses to the external conditions that "make us feel some type of way". We reduce this process to "next thing you know" and profess "I just started feeling this way out of the blue".
Tuning into this conversation and learning to receive the messages that our emotions aim to communicate is a game changer! We need not fear them or stifle them. They are not in control. We are! They do, however, have very valuable insights that are extremely helpful with supporting informed decision making for the individual. We are able to live life more intentionally, instead of being reactive and confused. Check out the feelings wheel and become familiar with the range of human emotions. Call the roll and see who's present on your "Team Me"!
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