It’s no secret that when you rewatch films at various ages, oftentimes different aspects of the films stand out to you. Films by studios such as Pixar, Dreamworks, and Studio Ghibli are especially adept at catering to audiences of both child and adult demographics. One such movie, Inside Out, hit theaters right after my freshman year of high school. I remember the following spring, in my sophomore year, my health class watched Inside Out to analyze how it expressed the nature of emotions and personal growth. It provided the perfect segue into how to manage difficult emotions in a healthy manner.
Because of the correlation to Inside Out, I continue to remember this lesson years later, even now in my senior year of college. When I have difficulty expressing or understanding how I feel, I often consult a worksheet with a list of emotions on it, just as we were taught to do during that class. You can easily find worksheets like this online, and therapists and counselors use them as a valuable resource for clients who have difficulty verbalizing their feelings and expressing themselves.
When I rewatched the film last week, I found myself thinking of what other aspects of the film I could apply to my life as well. What stood out to me during this viewing was not the representation of emotions, which was my focus in high school, but the “islands” aspect of the narrative. The main character Riley has five key islands in her mind that serve to represent her core values or interests, such as family, trust, and hockey. As she gets older and has different experiences throughout the movie, she loses some islands, new ones are created, and existing ones are expanded.
It made me wonder: how have my own islands changed since I was in high school, or even since I began college? I could certainly tell you that I am a different person than I was my Freshman year at Oswego, but narrowing down those differences to my core islands is a creative way to better understand myself inside and out! When I know what my core values and interests are, I think I will be better equipped to fulfill my needs and desires, as well as make myself happy. For instance, I know hockey and yoga are both important to me, and knowing this allows me to ensure I set aside time each day for movement. In turn, this also helps me to take care of myself and stay healthy!
If I could go back to my freshman year of school, I would create a list of my islands, be it on a Google document or drawn out on a sheet of paper. Then, either each year or just my final year of school, I would do the same exercise again to see how my islands have changed and expanded. This is a great way to see how your values and interests have changed over the years and to tangibly see your growth as a person.
Even though I am not able to go back to my freshman year, I am still going to write what my islands are this semester, so that years from now, I can see how I have changed since college. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on what your islands are and implement this exercise to get to know yourself inside and out! Try rewatching old movies too to see what parts of them resonate with you today that you may not have noticed before. Even your favorites or the classics might surprise you!