By Aarav Khunger
Simply put, moving to a new home is rough. It can be exceptionally difficult to leave loved ones behind (something that can intrinsically affect your mental state), to abandon important memories, to be put in an environment where you’re forced to start fresh.
One of the best examples of this was in the Disney Film “Inside Out”. Riley—the main character—struggles to truly find herself and her emotions once she is separated from her hometown, friends, and sense of belonging, after she left her old life behind when her parents had to relocate for a job. In her new school, she finds it hard to adjust and eventually starts to forget what happiness is.
Riley’s story is a good portrayal of how teenagers might feel when they are forced to leave behind friends and memories and told to adjust in a new environment where people constantly under appreciate them. Dealing with the effects of moving causes certain types of mental stress and fear within teenagers.
This sudden increase in stress levels also increases blood pressure. This can affect the decision making skills and memory of the child, possibly leading to depression as we see with Riley. Thus as the movie unfolds, she becomes prey to sadness until joy returns.
So the big question is, how do we bring back joy? When dealing with stressful situations, it's important that we calm themselves and think logically through the situation. Practicing yoga may be a good thing when fighting stress as well. Furthermore, talking to parents and consulting friends and older siblings may be a good method to reduce stress and to focus on the happier things in life.
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Works Cited
Holly Tiret and Sean Knurek, Michigan State University Extension. “Strategies to Cope with Family Stress.” Healthy Relationships, 25 Jan. 2021, www.canr.msu.edu/news/strategies_to_cope_with_family_stress.
“How Stress Affects Your Body and Behavior.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 4 Apr. 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987.