Surface Pressure
Let me start off by saying I’m obsessed with the movie Encanto. I might be an adult who is not in the target demographic but I fell in love with this movie and have seen it more times than I can count. There are so many things I love about it and there are likely to be more Encanto themed blog posts in the future but for now, want to focus on the song, “Surface Pressure”. Also, if you haven’t seen this movie, turn away now as there will be spoilers!
The idea to write this came after I had a friend over and I had Encanto on. She made a reference to the song and that it made her want to cry when she heard it due to the amount of pressure she was feeling at work. How many of us have ever felt pressure that makes us want to cry at work? What can we learn from this catchy, colorful, children’s movie? Let’s dive in.
Encanto is a movie about a family that has been blessed with different gifts. Every child in the family has a different gift (except for Maribel – the main character). Luisa, Maribel’s sister, has the gift of immeasurable strength. She can lift anything, she can move bridges, reroute rivers, lift donkeys, split boulders - you get the idea. She does all of this without complaint or comment as to not impact her family or those around her. She just does what everyone else asks of her. When Maribel suspects that something is happening to the magic that blessed the family with their gifts and asks Luisa about it, well, this is what happens.
The first portion of the song, “I'm the strong one, I'm not nervous, I'm as tough as the crust of the earth is, I move mountains, I move churches, And I glow 'cause I know what my worth is” really brings across a vibe of strength and inability to feel that aforementioned pressure. The crust (surface) of the Earth is hard, but what’s underneath that surface – we’ll keep going.
At first, Luisa continues to hold onto the facade, declaring:, “I don't ask how hard the work is, Got a rough indestructible surface, Diamonds and platinum, I find 'em, I flatten 'em, I take what I'm handed, I break what's demanding.” To me, this line shows that she just continually does what is asked of her. But…
How does she really feel underneath that? “Under the surface, I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus, Under the surface, Was Hercules ever like "Yo, I don't wanna fight Cerberus"? Under the surface, I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service.” Love that Greek mythology reference but oof, that last line hit me like a ton of bricks, even when I first heard the song. Why you might ask? I’m a people pleaser, to the core, so when I don’t feel as though I’m helping other people, my own value is less. Has anyone else out there ever felt that if they were not performing well at work or doing something to help others that their own self-worth was lessened?
Now, what happens when pressure is building on a surface that cannot withstand the weight of said pressure? I think you see where I’m going with this. “A flaw or a crack, The straw in the stack, That breaks the camel's back, What breaks the camel's back it's…” A crack, a flaw, breaks the camel’s back. The weight of the world is on her shoulder. We all have a breaking point, I know from past experiences and talking to many others. But, and stick with me here, what if we set more realistic expectations for ourselves and never get to that breaking point. I know, it sounds crazy (if you’re anything like me) and while I’ve been trying to keep this in mind, it’s not easy.
As we get to the chorus of the song, we start to see what’s really happening. “Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa, Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'till you just go pop, whoa, Give it to your sister, your sister's older, Give her all the heavy things we can't shoulder, Who am I if I can't run with the ball? If I fall to, Pressure like a grip, grip, grip and it won't let go, whoa, Pressure like a tick, tick, tick 'til it's ready to blow, whoa, Give it to your sister, your sister's stronger, See if she can hang on a little longer, Who am I if I can't carry it all? If I falter.” Fear of breaking under the pressure. Questioning who she is if she can’t handle the pressure. Sound familiar to anyone?
As we continue on, “Under the surface, I hide my nerves, and it worsens, I worry something is gonna hurt us, Under the surface, The ship doesn't swerve as it heard how big the iceberg is, Under the surface I think about my purpose, can I somehow preserve this?” She is putting all of this pressure on herself to project strength. She feels as though she can’t show any sign of weakness if she is trying to protect her family, and that she is the only one who can protect them. I know there are people who feel the same way. It’s unimaginable and we have to show kindness to ourselves.
When we have that kind of pressure, the pressure of perfection, when one thing doesn’t go right, it can throw everything off balance. “Line up the dominoes, A light wind blows, You try to stop it tumbling, But on and on it goes.” When pressure builds and doesn’t have a release, it’s going to find a way to break. One domino falls and suddenly, they all do. Have you ever had a bad day that turns into a bad week or ever a bad month? I know I have, not too long ago, in which the little thing that I got most upset about was also the least impactful. But, it was the last thing to go wrong in a series of things for me. So it felt bigger than it really was because it was the cumulative effect of the week.
The realization, “But wait, If I could shake the crushing weight of expectations, Would that free some room up for joy, Or relaxation, or simple pleasure?, Instead we measure this growing pressure, Keeps growing, keep going, 'Cause all we know is…” What happens if we take the pressure off the surface? We’re far less likely to feel as though with any slight problem that we’ll break. We have to give ourselves permission to not be perfect. To find our own joy, to relax, to be present in our lives. But, if we’ve never done that before, how do we start? In good ole perfectionist habit, when we (I) want to try something new I want to do it well instantly. Realistic? No. So it’s all about changing your mindset to help you get there.
Major spoiler alert: after this song, the family loses their magical gifts. When they are without them, Luisa’s sisters help her with lifting the heavy things, remind her that it’s OK to ask for help, and encourage her to find time to relax. By the end of the movie, she’s forced to a hammock and a donkey brings her a drink. You can see the relief in the relaxation. At that point I might have started craving a margarita, who can blame me? If you can step back and allow yourself to take a break, you’re going to be better off for it. That break is going to look different for everyone.
No one accomplishes anything alone. However, we tend to feel pressure to be perfect, or be what everyone else needs before we take care of ourselves, myself included. But, we have to think about the oxygen masks in an airplane analogy. If we don’t care for ourselves, we won’t be able to care for others, as there will be a breaking point from the pressure.
Acknowledge the pressure. Ask for help. Prioritize yourself. And watch Encanto 😊.
