July 2026 | Every Emotion Gets a Seat

Changing Our Relationship with the Feelings We'd Rather Avoid

Hi there,

I’ve been noticing something in session lately.

It isn’t that people are feeling more anxious, more sad, or more overwhelmed than usual.

It’s how quickly they become afraid of those feelings.

Someone notices anxiety and immediately thinks, “Why am I anxious? I thought I was doing better.”

Someone else feels sadness for a day and starts wondering if they’re slipping backwards.

Or grief shows up months, or even years, later, and the first thought is, “I shouldn’t still be feeling this.”

I get it. None of us enjoy feeling anxious or sad. They’re uncomfortable. They can catch us off guard. But somewhere along the way, many of us learned that uncomfortable emotions mean something is wrong.

What if they don’t?

Every Emotion Gets a Seat

There’s an analogy I come back to often.

Imagine you’re hosting a dinner party.

Joy is there.

Excitement is there.

Peace, gratitude, hope & they’ve all found a seat at the table.

Then Anxiety knocks on the door.

Or Grief.

Or Disappointment.

Most of us try to keep them outside.

“Not tonight!”

“I don’t have time for this!!”

“Go away!!”

But emotions don’t usually leave because they’re ignored.

If anything, they knock louder.

Eventually they burst through the door, and now everyone is looking at them because we’ve turned their arrival into an emergency.

What if, instead, every emotion had a seat at the table?

Not at the head of the table. Not making every decision. Not taking over the conversation.

Just...a chair.

Because the truth is, every emotion has something to tell us.

It doesn’t mean we have to listen forever. It doesn’t mean we have to believe every thought that comes with it.

It simply means we stop acting like its presence is a problem.

A Therapy Thought I’ve Been Sharing

One thing I’ve been saying a lot in session lately is this:

You don’t have to be afraid of your feelings.

You can feel anxious without something being wrong.

You can feel sad without being depressed.

You can miss someone and still have a really good day.

You can feel disappointed and still move forward.

Our emotions aren’t permanent. They’re meant to move.

Sometimes what keeps them around isn’t the emotion itself, it’s how hard we’re working to make it disappear.

When we immediately try to push a feeling away, fix it, or outrun it, our body often interprets that emotion as a threat.

Now we’re not only feeling anxious...

We’re anxious about being anxious.

We’re sad about being sad.

We’ve added another layer to the experience.

Sometimes the gentlest thing we can do is simply notice what’s there.

“I’m feeling disappointed today.”

“There’s some anxiety here.”

“I’m noticing grief again.”

And then keep going.

Something to Try This Month

The next time an uncomfortable emotion shows up, see if you can pause before trying to fix it.

Instead of asking,

“How do I make this go away?”

Try asking,

“Can I make a little room for this right now?”

You don’t have to like the feeling.

You don’t have to invite it to stay forever.

You’re simply acknowledging that it’s here.

Sometimes that’s enough for the feeling to begin moving again.

A Thought to Carry With You

Life is always going to include joy and disappointment.

Peace and anxiety.

Excitement and grief.

We’re not meant to experience only the emotions we enjoy.

We’re meant to experience all of them.

So my hope for you this month is this:

When a feeling shows up that you weren’t expecting, resist the urge to assume you’ve done something wrong.

Instead, pull out a chair.

Let it sit for a while.

Trust that, like every guest, it won’t stay forever.

With care,

Taylor
Liminal Wellness Company