A Mall, a Movie, and a Mental Health Moment
Don’t let the emotional chaos in your life define you. You have the power to choose how to respond
By Quentin Steen, Representative/BC Member Education Coordinator
It was a random evening, and I found myself sitting on the couch, following a trip to the mall for some “loser laps,” as I refer to it. Essentially “loser laps” are those times in the mall where you’re just walking aimlessly with a zombie-like expression on your face just to kill some time. It’s similar to window shopping but with less purpose. It happens a lot to me around Christmas time. I digress.
As I was mindlessly flipping through TV channels, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was on. I’ve seen it many times, but tonight, something was different. As I watched Kevin wander through the bustling mall in the movie, I felt an unexpected wave of emotion crash over me. The scene was innocent enough, a quirky mix of chaos and comedy, but it stirred something deep inside.
I didn’t expect it. I didn’t plan for it. But, suddenly, there I was—hit with a rush of memories, feelings, and thoughts that I hadn’t fully realized were still there. It was as if the mall scene wasn’t just a setting in the film; it was a portal to something much deeper within me.
The emotions flooded in fast—rejection, loneliness, abandonment. It was as if the image of Kevin, alone and lost, sparked the memory of times in my own life when I felt just that: alone.
Those feelings came from a place long buried—of expectations unmet, of hopes dashed, of dreams that never fully bloomed. I felt rejected by people I thought I could trust. Abandoned by a world that didn’t seem to care about my hopes for connection, belonging, and love.
And then, as quickly as the emotions surged, my mental defenses kicked in. This is where it gets interesting, because here’s where the mental health part of the story really begins.
First, my "managers" took over. I think of these as the parts of me that try to control my reactions, to keep things in order. They want to make sure I don’t get too carried away by the emotion. So, they step in—maybe telling me to push these feelings aside, to brush it off, to “be strong” or “get over it.”
They’re the ones that say, “It’s not that big of a deal. You’re fine. Stop overthinking it.” They keep the emotional chaos at bay, but they don’t necessarily help me heal.
Then the “firefighters” arrived. In my world, these are the parts of me that rush in when the emotional flood is too much to handle. They’re quick, they’re intense, and they’re all about putting out the fire—at any cost. Maybe it's a distraction, maybe it’s avoidance, or maybe it’s an outburst of anger or frustration. It’s a survival mechanism. But, in the moment, it feels like a way to shield myself from the hurt.
For a while, the managers and firefighters fought their usual battle—trying to control, distract, and shut down what was happening. I stayed in my head, trying to talk myself out of feeling anything too deeply.
But then something shifted. Slowly, like a light pushing through a storm, my “wise self” broke through.
In that moment, as I watched Kevin finally find his way in the film, something clicked inside me. I realized that it wasn’t just about the movie. It was about me.
I had been treating myself the way Kevin was treated—abandoned, isolated, and lost. And yet, Kevin had found his strength. He faced the chaos and found his way to the people who cared about him.
The wise part of me saw that and whispered: You can do the same.
It wasn’t instant. It wasn’t easy. But that moment of clarity, that breakthrough, was enough to shift the way I looked at everything. My emotional responses weren’t weaknesses—they were simply reactions to old wounds that needed healing.
The rejection and abandonment I had felt in my life didn’t define me, just like the chaos of the movie didn’t define Kevin. I had the power to choose how I responded, and that realization was everything.
As the movie continued, I sat there, feeling a little lighter. A little freer. My wise self had finally shown up, and for the first time in a long while, I felt truly seen—not by anyone else—but by myself.
That night, Home Alone 2 became more than just a holiday movie. It became a mirror, reflecting my own mental health journey, my own story of healing. It was like mental health poetry in motion, a reminder that even in the most unexpected places—like a holiday comedy from the ’90s—we can find the moments that spark our deepest growth.
Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow!
3 Mental Health Resources to Help You
- If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, CLAC has a number of resources and interactive tools available to help you at My Health and Wellness.
- Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) provides accessible, reliable, and professionally produced resources on an array of health topics including (but not limited to): addictions, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, etc.