Mental Wellness: Understanding Your Sadness

Mental wellness is the overall state of your mental health. When you are “mentally well,” it can be used in a positive way. But, being mentally unwell can be a cause for concern. Your mental wellness can often be associated with whatever mood you might be in or feelings you’re carrying. For instance, if you’re feeling sad, it could be a sign of something deeper going on with your mental health. It’s so important to understand where those feelings are coming from and how they can impact you on a long-term basis. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at mental wellness and understanding your sadness. The more you know about it, the easier it will be to steer yourself on a path toward positive mental wellness. 

The Confusion of Sadness

Everyone feels sad sometimes. It’s a normal emotion that is typically nothing to be worried about. In fact, moments of sadness are actually healthy and can help you to feel more joyful and recognize the good things when they come. Unfortunately, it’s easy for people to automatically associate sadness with something bad. You may not even know why you’re sad, but the feeling causes your mind to wander and make things worse than they actually are. The best thing you can do if you’re feeling sad is to try to understand where it’s coming from. Again, it’s a normal emotion and response. Sadness, on its own, is temporary. But getting to the underlying cause can make working through it easier.  Sadness is often felt when we experience loss or pain. Sometimes we don’t always recognize the losses in our lives: transitioning to college is a moment of triumph but it is also sad for the student leaving his home and his hometown behind and for the parents and friends saying goodbye to him. Sometimes we put timelines on our grief or tell we ourselves that a best friend moving away or leaving a job we love shouldn’t make us sad. But sadness is an emotion that serves as a signal that comfort is needed. It is important to investigate our internal experiences to understand what our sadness is trying to point out. It’s also important to understand that sadness is not an emotion that can be fixed. In our culture, we often receive the message that we should be “joyful” or “happy” at all times and if we’re not, then we need to fix it. But sadness is a part of a normal emotional life. And once we understand why we’re feeling it, it’s important to let ourselves feel it. Of course, we can also take care of ourselves; we can seek comfort from friends and family and practice good self-care like taking time to engage in healthy activities that we enjoy or that give us comfort.Anything that is painful, disappointing, or upsetting can cause you to feel sad. But, that feeling should weaken over time. 

Sadness vs. Depression

It’s important not to automatically assume your sadness is something bigger than what it actually is. But, it’s equally important not to ignore it. Sadness is something that goes away after a relatively short period of time. That might be a few minutes, hours, or days, depending on the situation. But, when your deep feelings of sadness don’t seem to be going away, it could be something more serious, like depression. Sadness can turn into depression. While everyone experiences it differently, there are some common symptoms to look out for, including: 

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• Feeling “empty”
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Insomnia
• Isolation
• Loss of interest in things you typically enjoy
• Changes in your sleeping/eating habits
• Restlessness
• Irritability

In extreme cases, you might even have thoughts of self-harm or suicide. When sadness gets to this state or you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s time to reach out for help and support. 

How Understanding Leads to Treatment

There are far too many mental health stigmas around the world. Unfortunately, that leads people to ignore what they’re really feeling and experiencing. It makes it difficult to understand your sadness and what it really means. The sooner you do understand your personal feelings of sadness, the sooner you can do something about them. You’ll notice if those feelings are persistent. You’ll notice if signs of depression are starting to creep in. When you’re able to “catch” those signs early on, you can seek out professional help as quickly as possible. Doing so can help you to manage your mental health right away, so you won’t risk falling into a deeper depression. It’s so important to understand your own emotions, rather than ignoring them. The next time you feel sad, let those feelings exist and pay attention to them. Sadness will come and go, but lingering hopelessness is nothing to take lightly. About: Chanderbhan Psychological Services is a therapy practice located in Laredo, Texas. We help individuals and couples who are struggling in different areas of their lives gain the clarity they need to grow and change. We also offer vieo counseling services to individuals located in the wider State of Texas. To read blogs on mental health and relationships, visit our website.