Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” is set to release in theaters June 14. Four new emotions will join the main five in Headquarters as Riley undergoes puberty, and each one corresponds to a state of mind that Heritage students may find familiar. Whether you’re feeling anxious, envious, embarrassed or “the boredom,” here’s how to deal with these four overwhelming emotions.
Anxiety
High school is a stressful time. You have to balance schoolwork, a social life and a home life while also thinking ahead to college and even your future occupation. Ignoring these things will cause you problems, but so will stressing yourself out over all of them at the same time. You need to pace yourself. Think about what you need to get done today and get it done. If you have extra time and motivation, you can work ahead, but if you need to take a break, take one. If you have a pet, you could snuggle or play with them as a break. Or watch an episode of your favorite show. Or meditate. You can find guided meditations online or even on campus with the Shanti Club.
Envy
It can be easy to let your admiration of other people’s possessions turn to envy, but practicing gratitude instead will lead you to a more content life. Say your friend comes to class with a new belt. What a nice belt. It looks good on them, but maybe it’d look better on you. Why do they get a new belt and you don’t? Pause. See how quickly envy can spoil the mood? Instead of coveting what you don’t have, think about what you do have. Don’t feel ashamed about feeling envious, but don’t let envy ruin your day.
Ennui
The workload of a high school student is tiring enough, but combined with this age of infinite scrolling, it can give way to a greater sense of ennui, or listlessness. To combat ennui, try taking breaks from your phone for longer and longer periods. See how long you can go without opening TikTok, or if you do decide to open it, try to keep yourself from scrolling on it for too long by setting a time limit. Occupy your mind with games, puzzles or conversations with friends. Your schedule should accommodate your workload and a good night’s rest, but don’t forget to take breaks when you feel the ennui setting in.
Embarrassment
Being a teenager means being embarrassed. You haven’t found your place in the world yet and you’ve only just gained awareness of that, so embarrassment is only natural. However, this doesn’t mean that you should shut yourself out from the world to protect yourself from embarrassment. Find the environments and people that make you feel most confident and spend more time with them. Soon enough, that confidence will spread to other areas of your life, and it’ll be easier for you to fight feeling embarrassed.
