Not All Emotional Reactions Are Valid

To lesson your anxiety, ground your emotions in reality

Kathleen Smith
Forge
Published in
2 min readJan 25, 2021

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A person wearing a face mask, using their phone. They seem to have an optimistic expression.
Photo: hsyncoban/E+/Getty Images

As a therapist, I can’t tell you how much I dislike the platitude, “Your emotions are valid.” Sometimes, they aren’t. When rioters stormed the Capitol this month, they demonstrated how dangerous emotions can be when they aren’t rooted in reality.

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Kathleen Smith
Forge
Writer for

Kathleen Smith is a therapist and author of the book Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down.