People are under the delusion that we have to be happy all the time. We cannot get angry, we can’t be upset, and we can definitely never be jealous. For starters, unless you’re sentient and reading this article you’re human. You can’t decide how something makes you feel.

Denying how something makes you feel is gas lighting yourself into a reality that’s not real and we’re not about that here.

If you’re mad, get mad! That means you care about whatever is bothering you. Getting mad is a natural reaction and there’s nothing wrong with that. Choosing how you show that anger however is how you handle it responsibly. Flipping someone off or punching someone in the face is typically not the avenue I would recommend for you to express yourself. Turn that anger into passion. Passion is not explosive, it’s controlled. Passion shows interest without tearing down others. Passion is what fosters change and bridges gaps between people.

If you’re sad, be sad. I’m not a fitness expert but I can tell you ONE pint of ice cream won’t make you fat. Now is that a healthy option to deal with your emotions? Unfortunately, no. Is trading your sadness for $5 and a gallon of your favorite ice cream extremely habit forming? Absolutely! So I guess I should say there are much better ways to deal with sadness. After all, we’re all on a journey. Point being, if you’re upset, be upset. You’ve lost something. Maybe you’re upset about someone dying, maybe you miss someone, maybe you’re hormonal, or maybe you just woke up sad. At the end of the day, does it really matter? Unless you’re making it up for attention (ew, gross) feeling sad is part of life. Telling yourself to be happy when you’re not is a lie. Don’t do that.

People talk crap about jealousy but if I’m being honest, I’m here for it! If you tell me you’re jealous, my first question to you is why? Jealousy is a cue to a whole set of other emotions that follow. Ignoring jealousy is telling yourself that everything is okay and that you’re the problem. If you think your man’s being a hoe, there might be a reason for that. If you think he’s cheating on you and he’s clearly not, that’s probably a you problem. You have to be ready for that too. Either way, ignoring your initial reaction is dismissing how you feel and you’re better than that.

You deserve to love yourself enough to acknowledge your emotions and to process them in a healthy, secure way.

Social media has done a wonderful job at connecting people that would otherwise not interact with each other. People that meet on a flight can now Facebook stalk each other to see if the other person is married, where they live, and even see where they went to high school. It’s normal to post about every degree you earn, your kid’s birthday, a promotion, the last meal you ate, your dog, your new years resolution, the list goes on and on.

You know what people normally don’t post about? Sorrow. No one takes a video of themselves ugly crying because of a thought that popped in their head. People don’t brag about the times they mess something up at work or yell at their kid unnecessarily because they got on their nerves. We are conditioned to believe only reasonable and positive emotions are allowed. Lez be honest, sometimes I get sad for no reason. Does that make me an alien? No. It means I’m a human who is capable of expressing themselves. I don’t dwell on sadness, especially if it’s not a warranted emotion for the day I’m having but I deal with it. I feel emotions as they happen, when appropriate so they don’t bottle up or manifest in other ways. That’s healthy. I used sadness as an example but that can be said for any emotion.

Lying to yourself is old, outdated, ugly, and we ain’t doing it anymore!

It’s 2026 and we’re gonna act like it. Go to therapy. Learn how to healthily handle and express your emotions. Honor yourself and be an adult. Period or whatever the kids are saying these days.

mic drop