someone validating your emotions feels like a hug. itโs comforting because in our times of conflict with others or ourselves, the dominating feeling is confusion. feeling stuck in an anxious fog with no vision of where youโre headed but knowledge that you are sinking is awful.
i believe the only way to really deal with your emotions is to actually feel them. not place them to the side and look for distractions in the meantime. actually let them pass through you, be consumed for a second, then release.