Coping with the Emotion of Sadness

The emotion of sadness arises and is felt by almost everyone, once in a while. It is normal for human beings to grief and cry when they lose someone they care about or something that means a lot to them. People also tend to feel unhappy when they experience a helpless situation.

So, how long should you allow the miserable feeling to linger?

Not too long because if your unhappiness is prolonged, it will lead to numbness, loneliness and depression. This gloomy state will block your appreciation for life and to experience joy. It will affect your appetite, sleeping patterns and focus. You may neglect many important people and things that need attention.

You express through you body what your mind dwells upon. To change how you feel, you should move your body instead of sitting and moping in your room. You can start with light physical action. The simplest is to take a brisk walk as often as you can, hold your head high and breathe deeply.

Your point of focus is one of the reasons that is making you unhappy. To change the focus, talk to yourself differently. Instead of asking why are you feeling sad, ask what will make you happy. How do you want to feel right now and a year or two from now?

Share your sorrow with someone who will listen. Talk about your misery to someone who is sympathetic. The person you talk to may just listen but it could reduce your dejected feeling when you let go and let it off your chest.

Shake off your emotion of sadness by getting yourself involved in activities. Stimulate your thinking by doing crossword or jigsaw puzzles. Go out and play vigorous games. It will make you feel good if you able to kick, hit or throw something.

Writing is therapeutic. Start a journal. Write about issues that bother you, write about your pains and what change you would like to see and experience.

Go out and meet people. Shunning yourself will cause loneliness and you will feel more depressive and sad. Help someone in need or other sad people who need some cheering up. Hopefully, it will make you realize that your misery is not that bad.

Recall how you have successfully handled your emotion of sadness before. If you can do it once, you can do it again.

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