There’s a quote from Yung Pueblo making the rounds again:“Manage your reactions, but do not suppress your emotions.”
I’ve resonated with some of his writing before.But this one?It doesn’t land.
Because in real life—in a real body—you can’t separate reactions from emotions.Your reaction is your emotion trying to get out.
Trying to “manage” one while pretending not to suppress the other?That’s emotional gaslighting.
It teaches people to sound wise while bypassing the very truth their body is screaming.
It’s repression dressed up in spiritual language.And it’s exactly why so many people are unwell.
Because the truth is:If your body is reacting, it’s trying to protect you.It’s saying: Something hurts. Something is off.Let it rise. Let it shake. Let it say what’s never been safe to say.
This isn’t weakness.This is a body telling the truth for the first time in decades.
We’re told that regulation looks like staying calm.But:
Calm isn’t always healing.
Silence isn’t always peace.
Sometimes it’s just survival.
The part that loves. And the part that says: not this.
The part that gives. And the part that refuses to be used.
Mental health isn’t about becoming palatable.It’s about becoming whole.
So no—don’t “manage” your reaction.Meet it. Listen to it. Let it move.That’s the part that’s been waiting to be heard.