A Full Range of Emotions

Live Life to the Fullest!

I find it interesting how often the world — society; culture; our peers; our families — dish out the above advice... but it turns out to be against the backdrop that the only emotions we are really allowed to feel are happiness or anger.

Anything else is off limits, even if nobody comes out and directly says so.

If you're feeling sad, someone will come after you, expecting you to take a pill... so as to no longer feel something that runs against the publicly prescribed "image" of what people should be.

Of course, it all strikes me as patent nonsense! Most researchers agree that there's something on the order of 27 emotional states that we humans get to experience.

Are you seriously telling me that 25 of those are — to a greater or lesser degree — off limits? I'm sorry, but that seems so absurd!

Last time I went to the doctor, she asked about my moods and emotions as part of my general checkup. Well, at least she asked! But the fact that she offered to prescribe something because I admitted that I experienced periods of sadness struck me as ridiculous.

I have — from birth, as an innate part of my being — what might be called a "melancholic temperament" if you subscribe to Jungian psychological analysis.

That doesn't mean that I am clinically depressed, nor that I am in any way limited in my ability to live and enjoy life. It merely means that I experience periods of reflection that often center around a certain sadness... a bit of ennui, if you will... perhaps linked to a keen awareness of the ultimate transcience of everything around us.

I happen to feel the things of life very deeply, and I notice nuances in energy and emotions constantly, and I am also deeply empathic and the sadness and tragedy of life and the human experience affects me intensely.

It can be anything from someone losing their pet companion to love that never happened, or love that was and was unexpectedly snuffed out... and more esoteric emotions like the lament that comes with slain hope.

Feeling these things does not make me mentally ill, nor do I need a pill to deal with them. Besides, I feel joy and happiness states jest as well.

A (therapist) friend from the past pointed out that the only real difference she saw between me and others was that I had no fear of negative/sad emotions... which — evidently — many people do.

I also have no fear of allowing (evidently) "forbidden" feelings. I believe we do ourselves a huge disservice in not allowing ourselves to explore the full range of human emotions.

In fact, I suspect that not allowing ourselves to do so is a huge block to echieving true intimacy, both with yourself.. and with another. It is not enough that I can only see your light — and you mine — I want to see your dark as well; as I would want you to see mine.

There is an irony there: A gaping chasm between what all the so-calld experts advocate, and the reality of how we end up living our lives. And not because we are limited, but because we fall into fear of not following those "socially prescribed" emotions... only.

It becomes strangely lonely, sometimes. Lonely, in that odd way you can feel lonely in a roomful of people... even a roomful of people you might think of as your friends.

Conversely, you can sometimes feel incredibly deeply and intimately connected to someone a million miles away... simply because you recognize a kindred spirit.

Regardless... allow yourself to feel it all!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

How about YOU? Do you allow yourself to experience ALL of life's emotions? Do you avoice sadness and/or "dark" thoughts, as off limits? What are you afraid of? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2025.09.01 00:33 PDT
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