I sometimes think that when it's suggested that people should feel their emotions I think they meant just iterally that, just feel it and let it go and get it over with so you can then get on with things and not have this feeling gnawing incessantly at you
I agree with this! There is a massive difference between acknowledging emotions and lettting them consume and direct you. I also think that people have been encouraged to show emotions, without the rule of controlling them first, which makes them highly damaging as people's emotions are reactive, even if the information they are reacting to is incorrect.
I think sadness is quite different. My daughter gets sad - but not depressed. Later in life, she will be able to discern depression (hopefully she is fine) from sadness as she will already know what it is to be sad, but depression will feel different.