Sadness

Sadness has many sides. Sometimes, sadness has a clear source, like a challenge you're facing, something hurtful that happened, or a loss. But sometimes, sadness appears what feels like out of nowhere and for no reason at all. It can feel like a heaviness or heartache in your chest, or an unhappiness that just won't go away. This kind of sadness can feel alienating, especially when everyone around you seems to be just fine.

Everyone feels sadness differently and for different reasons. Sadness often follows disappointed expectations; a breakup or change in a relationship, a perceived failure, or receiving bad news. It's not uncommon to feel a sense of sadness that has no source, or sadness about world events. It varies in intensity and duration, but it's often fleeting.

It’s important to note that sadness (a feeling) is different from depression even if we use the words interchangeably sometimes. Depression is a mental health condition, and sadness is only one symptom of it. Often, sadness is temporary and can vary in intensity.

You’ve already taken an important step in dealing with your sadness by identifying that you’re feeling sad. Allow yourself time and space to feel. Pushing down and ignoring your emotions often causes more issues later, so cry if you need to cry.

Afterward, you can try to find ways to cope with it. What you do may depend on what you like, but there are many practical options to choose from.