Your Feelings Are A Call To Action

“When something happens in the world that is wrong, don't try to move on with your life like it's right.
The voice within you that says ‘This is not okay’ is a direct call from the basic goodness of your spirit.
Pick it up. Every time. Pick it up and stay on the line until you figure out how to help.”
— Cleo Wade, How to Stay Connected to Your Soul

In a culture that constantly demands we move fast, stay strong, and hold it all together, it’s easy to disconnect from our emotions—especially the hard ones. We’re often taught to push through pain, silence discomfort, or minimize what we feel. But what if your feelings weren’t something to overcome or ignore? What if they were the very thing trying to point you toward what matters most—your values, your purpose, your next step?

As a therapist, I see this every day: your emotions aren’t just something you experience. They are a call to action.

Cleo Wade’s words remind us that the voice inside—the one that rises when something feels wrong—is not weakness or distraction. It’s your spirit speaking. Your basic goodness. The part of you that knows what is just, what is needed, what is true. That voice is the call. And you don’t have to rush past it. You’re allowed to stay on the line.

Counseling is one of the few spaces where that’s not only welcomed, but encouraged. It’s a space to sit with what you're feeling. To listen. To process. And then, when you're ready, to act in a way that is wise, grounded, and aligned with who you are and what you care about.

Your feelings aren’t random or inconvenient—they carry messages. Anger may be pointing to injustice. Grief often reveals what you’ve loved and lost. Anxiety can signal a need for safety, clarity, or support. Burnout or numbness may be a call for rest, a break, regulation. When emotions arise, try asking: What is this feeling guiding me to do?

That action might be speaking up, seeking help, setting a boundary, resting, reaching out, or simply noticing. Whatever it is, your emotions are offering you direction.

It’s also important to acknowledge that not everyone is experiencing this moment in the same way. Some individuals and communities are facing direct threats to their rights, identities, and safety. For some, the call to action looks like protest, protection, or advocacy. For others, it’s surviving, caregiving, resourcing, or creating steadiness in the midst of uncertainty. For many, it's a combination of many of those things.

Your role—whatever it looks like—is meaningful. Every form of care and connection counts. Mental health is not just personal—it’s communal. When we act in ways that remind us we belong to one another, we not only strengthen the world—we strengthen ourselves.

Therapy doesn’t exist outside of systems. It’s shaped by the same forces that shape our lives: power, privilege, race, class, gender, and access. Naming how systemic injustice affects our mental health isn’t a distraction from therapy—it is therapy. Caring for yourself in a world that often devalues your humanity is a radical act. Helping others do the same is a form of resistance.

Therapy can be a space to heal, but also to unlearn harmful conditioning, reclaim your power, and imagine more liberated ways of being—in your life and in your community. And sometimes, it's not just what you do, but how you do it. Are you moving through the world in a way that reflects your values? Do you offer compassion? Presence? Accountability? Do you hold the door open—for others and for yourself?

We do what we can with what we’ve got. And when the way forward feels unclear or overwhelming, therapy can help you find your footing—not by forcing a fix, but by helping you feel your way toward clarity.

The next time something rises in your chest—anger, sadness, fear, or even awe—don’t disconnect from it. Stay on the line. Let yourself feel. Then let yourself act.

Because that voice inside you? That’s your soul calling. Pick it up. Every time.

If you're looking for a space to stay on the line, therapy can help. You don’t have to do it alone.