Sadness

An emotion-Sadness is one of the seven universal emotions experienced by everyone that should fade away over time but when that melancholy isn’t temporary, the danger of depression may be on the horizon. Everyone has a bad day now and again—a painful argument with a spouse, the loss of a beloved pet, got failed for a promotion, and other everyday disappointments—can make us feel awful.When a person feels sad, sadness is often the dominant emotion. Sadness can also sometimes be relieved by venting, crying, exercising or other methods of releasing emotion.”

What makes us sad ?
The universal trigger for sadness is the loss of a valued person or object, though this can vary greatly between individuals based on their personal definitions of value and loss.

Common sadness triggers:
•  Rejection by a friend or lover
•  Endings and goodbyes
•  Sickness or death of a loved one
•  The loss of some aspect of identity (e.g., during times of transition at home, work, life stages)
•   Being disappointed by an unexpected outcome (e.g., not receiving a raise at work when you expected it)

Recognizing sadness

•  Facial expression
One very strong and reliable sign of sadness is the angling-up of the inner corners of the eyebrows, Upper eyelids drooped down and eyes looking down and lip corners pulled downwards.
•  Vocal expression
Depending on the type and intensity of sadness, someone’s voice can either become lower in pitch and softer in volume, or higher in pitch and louder in volume.
•  Sensations
Common sensations include tightness of the chest, heaviness of the limbs, stinging in the throat, and/or watery eyes.
•  Posture
There is often a loss of muscle tone, a lowered or hunched posture, and looking away and/or downwards.

The function of sadness
The universal function of sadness is to, in some way, signal for help. This can be a signal to others saying that we need comforting, or to ourselves to take some time and recover up from our loss.

How sadness could help you?
A negative emotion may even help you. Our world focuses on happiness and treats unhappiness as an unnecessary or useless feeling. But sadness can slow you down, and make you really think about your life, your feelings and the people around you. It can help you keep sight of your relationships and dreams.

In other words, being sad doesn’t mean you are not coping with a situation. Rather, it helps you come to terms with that situation and move on. It is an important emotion that can help you adapt, accept, focus, persevere and grow.

And there’s more good news: you can learn to manage your sadness. Recognising your sadness, and understanding that it is okay to feel sad, is a sign of a stable sense of wellbeing.

How could you ease from sadness?
First, acknowledge that you are feeling sad. Sometimes sadness may feel manageable, and acknowledging how you feel is enough – after all, it will pass over time. Sometimes you might want to actively do something to help manage your sadness. You may want to try some of these tips:

•  Have confidence that things will improve. You need to trust that your sad feelings will lessen with time and effort.
•  Be honest with yourself and the people around you. Talk to someone whom you trust.
•   Do things that you enjoy and that are good for you. Find ways to make your life more pleasurable: listen to music, go for a walk, read a book, call a friend.
•   Is there something you can do about the cause of your sadness?
•   Tackle one problem at a time. It doesn’t matter if you start with the biggest or smallest problem, just make a list and begin. If things are out of your control, talk to someone you trust about your options, or try to work on accepting the situation as it is.
•   Think about whether your sleep and eating patterns are good for you.
•   Help someone else. Just improving someone else’s life, or being part of a community, can lift your spirits.
•   Find a creative way to express your sadness. Writing your thoughts in a diary, for example, may help you find a new perspective.
•  Seek help from a professional (a doctor, psychologist, or other health professional). You may need support, advice or a referral to a specialist.
•   If a prescribed medication makes you feel down, let your doctor know. And talk to your doctor before taking any non-prescribed medications or complementary or alternative medicines.
•  Keep yourself safe. If you feel at risk of hurting yourself, let someone know immediately.

Supporting someone else who is feeling sad
Maybe you know someone else who is feeling sad. Being supportive isn’t always easy, because it’s sometimes hard to know why someone is sad and how they are coping.
Here are four basic tips:
•  Ask the person if they are okay. Just checking shows you care.
•  Listen without judging and try to understand why they are feeling that way.
•  If the person is reluctant to ask someone for help (such as a school counsellor, a workplace HR representative or a doctor), you may be able to help by offering to go with them, finding the contact information for them to make the call, or even by finding them some helpful information from a trusted and credible source.
•   Reassure them that sadness is a valid emotion, and can be overcome.

Sadness is different from depression
Feeling sad does not mean you have depression. But if your mood starts to interrupt your life and how you function, then you may have become depressed.

Sadness
•  is part of life’s regular ups and downs, but it is not constant
•  is a common reaction to an upset or setback, and is usually not a cause for worry
•   is an emotion that can involve negative thoughts but does not usually involve suicidal thoughts.

Depression
•  is a longer term feeling (more than two weeks) of severe sadness or loss of interest or pleasure in activities, and other symptoms. These symptoms may include sleeplessness, low energy, concentration problems, pessimism, loss of hope, suicidal thoughts and appetite issues.

•   has complicated causes, which may involve genetic or biological components. Maybe the person has experienced a traumatic event or psychological stress.
•   can lead to significant weight change or sleep disruption.
•  is mentally painful and can be life altering.

Remember…
An emotion – sadness :-

•   Everyone feels sad sometimes.
•   You can learn to manage your sadness.
•   Feeling sad does not mean you are experiencing depression
•   If you have been feeling persistently sad for more than two weeks or you have lost interest in most of your usual activities, you might be depressed. In this case, it is important to seek help.

For more informative articles on Psychological health and other health related issues, please visit our website www.santripty.com and also feel free to consult with our experienced team of doctors, get benefits and stay healthy.