The issue is more so a mental security blanket than anything else. I have three pools of money:
Retirement (not touching until I retire)
Spending (day-to-day expenditures like food, rent, bills, etc.). I try to keep this around $20k just in case I ever need something last minute, like a major surgery or car.
Extra (this is the money Ive been using for stocks). I wanted this to gain interest so I put it on a Vanguard market fund, but the interest is significantly less than what I could be getting with stocks. I liked the low risk though, but once corona decimated the stock market, I changed my tune
What Im trying to say is, I dont NEED that money for anything other than down the road when I want a down payment on a house or something. I need to mentally understand that so I can start letting that money work for me.