The Emotional Flow Map: 4 Ways We Deal with our Feelings

Hello, sweet friends, welcome back to All the Feels with Lauren Carlisle Brown, your emotions coach.

In this episode, Lauren introduces a simple but powerful framework she calls The Emotional Flow Map — four natural ways humans are wired to handle emotions: react, resist, avoid, and allow.

Instead of labeling some “good” and others “bad,” Lauren invites you into a softer, more honest relationship with your emotional life. You’ll learn why all four responses exist for a reason, how each one can be supportive and harmful, and why shame has no place in emotional work.

This episode is all about awareness without judgment — seeing your emotional autopilot clearly, so you can eventually choose something new with compassion, not force.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The Emotional Flow Map: react, resist, avoid, and allow
  
• Why none of these responses are morally “wrong” — they all make sense
  
• The difference between unconscious reacting and conscious emotional expression
  
• How resisting and avoiding can sometimes be wise, and when they start to create problems
  
• What true emotional allowing looks like (and why it’s not a gold-star requirement)
  
• A gentle awareness practice to help you notice your default patterns

A Simple Awareness Practice from the Episode

This week, Lauren invites you to gently watch yourself with curiosity:

• When a feeling pops up, do you tend to react, resist, avoid, or allow?
  
• Are certain emotions easier to allow than others?
  
• Where do you feel small irritations or stress in your body

No fixing. No forcing. Just noticing.Awareness without judgment is where real emotional change begins.

Take the next step in your self-care journey:

Download The Exquisite Self-Care Handbook — Lauren’s free guide to help you slow down, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with what truly nourishes you.

It’s the perfect companion to the work we explore here on All the Feels.

👉 Get your free copy of The Exquisite Self-Care Handbook HERE

Connect with Lauren

Instagram: @the_emotionscoach
Website: laurencarlislebrown.com
Freebie: The Exquisite Self-Care Handbook