This past Tuesday night, CRI hosted an event, inspired by the Disney Pixar movie "Inside Out." For those unfamiliar with the movie, it brings five feelings- Joy, Sadness, Anger, Jealousy, and Envy- to life in the mind of a young girl named Riley. 

According to Teri Barila, one of the reasons CRI chose Inside Out is its portrayal of value of all feelings, including sadness. "Joy learned to understand that we can't be happy all of the time. We sometimes find new, true joy by embracing sadness," Teri says. 

CRI showed many clips from the movie as part of the event, yet also included three activities: a feelings chart, a breathing buddy, and a breathing exercise cube.

In the first exercise, kids learned about each feeling, what their faces looked like when they were expressing that feeling. Surprised with the turnout of younger children, Teri modified the activity to speak to them directly- "Do you know what your face looks like when you're sad or mad? You can't see what you look like, but others can." She brought them to a mirror to show them their faces. "It's hard to explain what's inside," Teri says. "When we're not aware of our affect, no wonder we upset each other." 

[The feelings chart used with a London theme]

The second exercise was inspired by Becky Bailey's breathing star, adapted by CRI. After expressing feelings, children were then reminded to stop, and do breathing exercises as a way to regulate their feelings.

And in the third activity, children were given a "breathing cube" to practice different breathing exercises. 

[Practicing a breathing exercise together]

All in all, we are grateful for everyone who turned out for this event! Visit https://resiliencetrumpsaces.org/ for more events!