Some humans are made to feel that if they show feelings, they are somehow LESS of whatever they should be, like masculine.
Others are told that showing feelings is TOO MUCH of what they should be—hysterical (a misogynistic word, at its very roots) instead of properly feminine.
If I may…
FUCK THAT
Seriously. That’s a bunch of bullshit of the highest degree.
Feelings are important. Necessary. They evolved to tell us what might be going wrong—or right—and give us a heads-up to do something about it.
The messed up thing is when people are constantly given feedback that calls their feelings into question, and it begins to warp how they interpret their own mind.
And to be fair, there are some people whose mind and body turn against them. 🙁
However, in that case, I still don’t think the answer is to make them feel bad for feeling. It MAY be a good idea, though, to seek professional (qualified) help.
Heck, we are now learning that people with Alzheimer’s (for example) are happier AND deteriorate less quickly, when people don’t try to fight against what they are experiencing when they have an episode.
It’s important to validate and listen to people when they are feeling, even when you don’t understand, or think they are wrong or overreacting.
Just as you would probably also like to be validated and heard when you have your own feelings.
And JUST AS IMPORTANT: Validate yourself for having feelings. For feeling the things. And thank your mind and body for looking out for you, even when you don’t intend to act on them.
Don’t feel bad for feeling.
