At times, life throws a lot our way, forcing us to experience a gamut of emotions. Understanding and navigating them is important for our mental health. Sadness is a common yet significant human emotion. It signals that something that matters to us may be lost or appears affected in a negative way. Sadness is often misunderstood as weakness or something to be suppressed. But it’s actually a sign of depth — of caring, of connection, of having lived. Sadness can range in intensity or duration depending on its triggers and our ability to release it.

• Momentary – Sometimes sadness is very brief. It can float through in a matter of moments when we overhear something sorrowful or think of someone we loved who is no longer there. We may dip in and out of this emotion quickly, shaking it off like droplets of water after coming out of the shower, and allowing it to evaporate when our attention shifts to something else.
• Short-term – Sometimes sadness results from a particular situation, for example dealing with a break-up, a loss of a job, a disappointment in a friend, etc. We may experience this emotion while the situation persists or remains fresh in our minds. It may feel all-consuming in the moment, but it usually subsides with time as we process our emotions and come to terms with the outcome of the situation.
• Long-term – Sometimes the sadness that begins with an initial event or simply results from the weight of life’s unpredictability, lingers in the body and mind longer than we expect, settling down like a thick cover of fog, from which it is difficult to escape. If left unprocessed, this emotion can harden into apathy, anxiety, and depression, making it hard to move forward.

What to do when feeling sad

While sadness is natural, staying stuck in it can feel overwhelming and isolating, so finding a way out of it is important. No matter what level of sadness we experience, the key to dealing with it is to acknowledge it and move through it. Shorter-term sadness can be addressed in many different ways, some of which are listed below:

• Reflecting on the emotions and the memories/thoughts they bring up and engaging in a creative activity (journaling, painting, etc.) to pour out the emotions.
• Taking on a physical activity (running, walking, exercising) to move the energy though the body.
• Connecting with nature – standing barefoot on the ground to allow the emotions to flow into the Earth.
• Shifting internal state by meditating or spending a few moments focusing on gratitude for the things worth appreciating.
• Participating in a fun activity. Attending a play, taking a cooking lesson, or playing a game can interrupt unhelpful thoughts and occupy one’s mind in a more positive manner.
• Focusing on others instead of self. Volunteering or helping those in need tends to refocus one’s mind, putting things in perspective and helping one experience higher-frequency emotions, such as empathy and caring.

Healing Support and Hypnosis

When dealing with longer-term sadness, in addition to the options listed above, reaching out for professional help may be necessary potentially to address chemical or hormonal imbalances in the body or to create greater emotional stability and psychological health.

Along with other therapeutic modalities, hypnosis can be a very powerful tool in helping individuals shift their emotional states, resolve subconscious pain and trauma, and experience greater peace. Hypnosis can create a gentle, safe environment in which individuals can process and release stored emotions. Hypnosis can assist in many ways:

• It can help individuals access the root of the issue by identifying and releasing hidden memories, emotions, or associations contributing to sadness.
• It can be used to reframe thoughts that perpetuate sadness by changing the subconscious “script” running in the background. By re-writing the subconscious beliefs and statements, individuals can begin to experience a more positive psychological state.
• Hypnosis can bring about a sense of tranquility by helping the individuals experience deep relaxation. When one’s nervous system feels safe, one’s emotional world becomes more manageable. Hypnosis often leads to feelings of peace, clarity, and perspective that linger long after the session.
• It can also build inner resilience. By continually tapping into peaceful, uplifted states, individuals can develop the ability to face difficult emotions without being overwhelmed by them.

Working through sadness is not a linear journey. There can be good days as well as hard ones. There are breakthroughs and plateaus. But with support — whether from a therapist, a loved one, or practices like hypnosis — the weight can get lighter. Sadness, like any other emotion, will never completely disappear from life because it is what makes us human. But it should be manageable and not something that swallows us whole. Any intervention used to assist with managing sadness should help us reconnect with ourselves, soften suffering, and provide a way forward that honors emotions without being lost in them.

Photo by Liza Summer: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crying-helpless-black-woman-sitting-on-windowsill-6382589/