As I touch on the issue of sadness, I wanted to first differentiate between sadness and mental illness. Mental illness is a disease that requires professional treatment.
Today the topic is sadness. First off, what is sadness exactly?
According to Websters dictionary, the word sadness is to be affected with or expressive of grief or unhappiness. Sadness is a temporary state. Each individual goes through the feeling of sadness in their own time. Sadness is a natural feeling that we will all go through at one time or another in our lives. Sadness is identified by a loss of something important. The catalyst of sadness can be from stressful life events such as death of a loved one, loneliness, isolation, or any major life change. A medical condition, such as chronic pain or chronic illness. Mental illness can exacerbate sadness as well.
So now that we have identified sadness, how do we cope with it?
The first step is acknowledging your feelings.
The next step is looking after yourself. Self care is the number one treatment for this. But why are we as a society so bad at self care? I know on a personal level that I am terrible at this. I tend to look after everyone else until I just have nothing left. Mom's are notorious for this, and throw on being a nurse. I am looking after people at work and then come home and do the same until you are falling asleep on the couch and roll into bed to start it all over again the next morning. As the old saying goes you can't pour from an empty glass.
So what does self care look like for you? What do you do to look after yourself? What makes you happy? Interesting fact since Covid people are spending less time with friends than ever before due to family/work/home obligations. If friends are one of those things that bring you joy, make time for them. This is self care. Use your senses, watch a movie or show you enjoy, listen to music that raises your mood, have a favorite snack, or hold something that makes you feel comfort like a soft blanket. Connect with other people. Get out and move your body, this one can be hard but it really does help to just get out and get a bit of exercise. Do something that you enjoy. Find a hobby. Write about your feelings. What do you do when you are feeling sad?
What if it's not me that is sad, how can I help someone else? Many people find themselves at a loss for how to be helpful. The best policy here is to be a good listener. As someone that has been very close to many beautiful people in their last moments on earth sometimes just sitting quietly holding their loved ones hand or giving them a hug is exactly what they need. There are no perfect words to say to someone after their loved one passes away, just be there for them. Ask how you can support them.
Sadness is a natural feeling. Sadness will hit everyone throughout their life, look after you so you have the tools to cope with it.
I would love to hear from you.
What do you do to cope with sadness?
This is my favorite. Often not talked about and overlooked. Glad you put this to words.
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