Turning to the Beast
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By now, if you’ve read my blogs, you know I love Disney movies. While re-watching Beauty and the Beast, and the Pixar movie Turning Red something caught me: these movies are sort of similar in their own way, the main character has a beast she had to help care for. In Turning Red the beast is the girl, and it only comes out after an expression of strong emotions. After a while I got to thinking and decided to rewatch it a few times and had a theory – we all have our own beast inside us (autistic or not) that shares our emotional bond and may come out in how we express ourselves.
There have been times I tried so hard to relax and fit in in elementary school that at the end of the day I honestly just wanted to rip my hair out and cry. But after help and support from my family I was able to turn to healthier ways to express my anger and use my energy such as crocheting, going on long walks, doing chores, sometimes just copying some dances on YouTube. After a while (depending on how upset I am or how much energy I have to burn) I’d feel relaxed/exhausted.
But after seeing the movie Turning Red and seeing Mei expect the Red Panda (they are so cute!) I was honestly jealous, because there are honestly times where I’m terrified of expressing myself even around my own family due to fear or anxiety. The point I’m trying to make is that Beauty and the Beast and Turning Red are similar in some ways (the animals). Belle accepted Prince Adam (The Beast) for who he was by accepting both the good AND the bad. And Mei’s friends accepted her Red Panda form and helped her cope with it like true friends would.
To me my beast is my fears, anxieties and, autistic quirks (small things such as labels not facing the right way when in a grocery store and fidgeting, or sensitivity to certain sounds or textures).
And while every day can be a battle without knowing what’s going to come, I feel it’s best to be prepared, have coping skills, a supportive family and space and you’ll be ok. Sure, it can take a journey to find all that, but in the end it’s always worth it. You feel like you found the end of the rainbow.
That’s all I’ve got for now. But next time you feel a strong emotion or feel like you need to let go of energy, maybe try to embrace it!
Until next time,
Sarah