To have slight concerns about Inside Out 2

[Rainallnight]

We loved Inside Out. DC are 8 and 6. 8 year old is v emotional (this is relevant).

I’ve seen a trailer for Inside Out 2, and I’m a bit concerned about the Anxiety character. I’m not keen on the current tendency to label normal worries and discomfort as ‘anxiety’, and it’s not really an idea I want to introduce to the DC (DD in particular).

What do other people think? Anyone else share my mild concern?

(NB I’ve deliberately not posted this in AIBU because I’m up for a chat about this not a big row. Thanks)

Booked to see it this afternoon with my diagnosed GAD 19yo. Will report back.

I agree @Lighttodark

It's very different from the nervousness or worry you feel before a big work event or driving test. Those things are uncomfortable but you are worrying about practical difficulties and processes.

Anxiety (for me) is more linked to worrying about how you feel, how other people feel - it's much more emotionally linked. It grips you like a vice.

Once I'd laid down, watched some trash tv, drank some water, purposefully relaxed and cleared my mind, it very gradually subsided. It took about 2 hours though. There's no quick fix for that feeling.

If a child or teen experiences it unexpectedly and didn't know what it was it could be very frightening.

My ex once had a panic attack, for the first time age 42, due to some extreme prolongued stress he was under. He genuinely thought he was having a heart attack. He even said 'it can't be a panic attack, I'm not the sort of person that panics'. He wasn't, he was strong as an ox mentally
But a panic attack is a physical response to extreme stress, your heart races uncontrollably, your mouth goes totally dry, you can't take a breath, you literally feel like you are fighting for oxygen. It takes a long time to subside.

Again, the phrase 'panic attack' almost undermines the reality of the extreme physical response that your body goes through. It's very scary, very real.

I feel very compassionate towards people that suffer from this every day. It's absolutely disabling.

@GuessingGownaGoGo in 20 years, dh has only been to the doctors once: suspected heart attack/other heart issue. Lots of tests, he was otherwise really fit and healthy, and it turned out to be nothing other than stress/anxiety. He found that really enlightening. As someone with historically robust mental health, he had no idea that mental health issues could have such strong physical presentation.

Anxiety is an umbrella term for the class of emotions that includes worry, but also excitement and anticipation. It’s a perfectly normal, healthy thing to feel. At its extremes, it can have a debilitating impact on peoples’ lives. But for most of us, feeling some degree of anxiety is good - and necessary! It kick starts a biochemical chain of events that helps us initiate tasks, perform them to a good standard, and give us an energy boost.

Using the word anxiety isn’t going to make people experience more anxiety. Rather than medicalising worry, it normalises it.

I thought it was very good, as did DD.
DD feels the panic attack was particularly well depicted

I don't think it would in any way encourage kids to feel they 'have anxiety' ( in the same way the sad character doesn't tip kids into depression).

I think it would be a good starting point for discussions with a kid that tends to over worrying.

The more complex characters would maybe go over the head of young children.

Yanbu

A film exploring mental illness including anxiety would be fine but I agree that anxiety is a massively overused word and should be replaced with other words like nervous or worried. For example it’s normal to feel worried the day before you start a new school or job because feelings like that are a part of life.

I think it’s part of the modern attitude that all problems can be solved when there is no solution to some problems apart from living with it until the raw emotions start to subside.

If you watch the film it explains exactly this. Riley experiences a stressful time, becomes anxious, and her emotions learn to work together to get through it.

Watched it; it completely normalises anxiety alongside other emotions and shows they all have a role and work together. When anxiety takes over, things can go wrong. It also conveys that our emotions don’t get to decide who we are. Loved it! The way anxiety is presented is so light hearted, natural and Disney cute that I wouldn’t worry about exposing children to a pathological emotion/ mental state.