4 safe and effective tips for sadness- What to do when you feel sad

If you clicked on this article it means that you are someone you know has dealt with, or currently dealing with a feeling of sadness. I’m glad your here because we are going to discuss sadness overall, and what you can do when you feel sad.

Sometimes sadness can come on all of a sudden and in my own experience, it can be situational or circumstantial.

Either way, I want you to know that everything is going to be okay, and the answers you need will come!

This post is all about what to do when you feel sad

Sadness is something that we are all familiar with, and this feeling leaves us with questions like, “Why am I feeling so sad”? “How do I overcome this sadness?” or, it is ok for me to feel this way? A lot of the time it can leave you feeling like something is wrong with you, and that is the farthest from the truth.

You need to understand that it is okay to experience this emotion and that there are tools available to help you when you feel sad!

Sadness Defined

Sadness is one of the basic emotions that you are innately built with. Before we get into the tips on how to process this emotion, let’s take a look at what it is clinically defined as.

Sadness is defined as, the feeling of being unhappy, especially because something bad has happened. To take it a little deeper, sadness is also categorized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness, and sorrow.

Signs of Sadness

Crying
Lethargic
Quiet
Withdrawal
Temporary change in mood, particularly low (not chronic)

It is important to note that sadness is different from depression. We can talk about that at a later time; however, I wanted to make sure to make note of that.

Before we can talk about what you can do, you need to first understand what is not beneficial. If your anything like me, one of the first things I want to do when I’m feeling down is to do something distracting. This is the last thing that you want to do! It’s important that you don’t run away from your feelings. You need to process them! If you want to gain control of this emotion and the power it has over you, dealing with it is the best course of action you can take.

This also can help with nipping things in the bud as sadness can turn into depression if not dealt with. I think feelings are not something that is talked about enough in households and children often grow up with a negative connotation to “bad feelings”. This leads us to eat, sleep, and avoid our feelings when we should embrace them as a natural part of human existence.

This leads me to what you came here for! Let’s dive into how you can deal with this beautiful yet scary emotion called sadness.

What to do when you feel sad

Broken down into 4 safe and effective steps!

1. Take the time to sit with your feelings: Embrace the sadness

Yes, your read that right! Allow yourself to purposefully feel all your feelings. “So, are you saying you want me to purposefully feel sad”? Yes! That is the first step in overcoming your sadness, and it is so important. Take the time to sit with your feelings and allow yourself to actually “feel” them. When feelings, anxiety, or even sickness surfaces, it’s your body trying to get rid of and/or deal with something.

As I stated before, a lot of the time, masking our emotions can feel better than actually facing them. This is an avoidance behavior, and it doesn’t do you or anyone else in your life any good. This is understandable because sometimes it is just too painful to face. Challenge yourself in this area, and try to see it as a good thing. look at it as an opportunity for you to discover healing in a certain area, and be released from a repressed emotion.

When sadness “surfaces” and you allow yourself to sit with the feeling instead of trying to “push it down”, it will lead to questions that need answers. One of the biggest being, what is causing me to feel this way? After all, once you have the answer then you can start to do some real emotional work.

Just to reiterate, the way you can allow yourself to “sit” with your feelings is to simply not try to change or judge them. Don’t distract from the feeling, or pretend it’s not there. Acknowledgment is your greatest weapon here. Acknowledge the feeling, feel it, and then move on the figuring out why it’s surfacing.

This then leads you to exploration, which we talk about in the next step. But first, go ahead and cry if your need to! It’s okay! Even if you don’t know why you are crying.

2. Explore the why?

Once you have taken the time to allow yourself to just sit in your feeling (of course this is meant to be temporary), take it a step further, and start exploring the “why” behind it. Find a quiet space in your home, or somewhere that you feel comfortable while doing this. You want to avoid all distractions, so choose a place free of interruptions.

Next, if you like to journal this would be a good time to have one handy and any other encouraging things to help you. Having a journal will allow you to write things down, and it’s a great way to reflect on what you have learned.

Exploring your feelings does take some practice, but you can start by asking yourself some general questions to see if you can pinpoint the event or circumstance that is making you feel sad. Allow yourself to be open to this process, and don’t judge it.

I have found in my experience that sometimes it’s not a recent event and sometimes it is. You may also find that it is from an ongoing circumstance or something that happened in the past. You may even find that it is not a specific event at all, and that’s okay. It can also be something deep within yourself that you need to deal with that’s tied to your self-esteem.

With recent events, it’s going to be much easier to pinpoint the source of your current sadness. This is why it is so important to do these steps as soon as you have the mental space too.

General questions to ask yourself:

As you’re going through these questions be sure to jot down your answers. You’ll be surprised as to what your spirit will show you. If any old or recent events come up in your mind jot those down too.

Why am I feeling this way, and how am I feeling?
1. A great resource for this is the Feelings Wheel. Download a free PDF here.
Did something happen to me recently that is contributing to this?
How long have I been feeling like this?
Who have I been around?
What have I been watching?

3. Get out into nature

This is a more practical step, but still very powerful! Getting out into nature has such a healing effect on the soul. There is just something about the birds singing, the trees, and the sunshine that calms the heart. Once you have finished with your exploration, purposefully get out and go for a walk, a hike, or even a car ride if you prefer to be indoors. Take as much or as little time as you need! You can also find a quiet space and do some deep breathing exercises, or reflect on what you learned in step #2.

Not only will nature help boost your mood, but it will also give you a good dose of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is known for boosting your mood naturally and reducing stress.

When you change your location/atmosphere it can help with your perspective. Be careful here and ask yourself do I need to stay where I am, or am I okay to go outdoors.

Sometimes familiarity can help with the sadness so you may want to stay home and decompress, or get around a family member or friend that you feel safe with. If you can get outside do so! You’ll be glad you did!

4. Prayer and meditation – ask God for help!

Prayer and mediation are by far one of the most important things you can do daily! But especially when you’re feeling down and blue. Connecting with God and taking the time to be still in his presence will help you deal with what you’re facing.

Every emotion, every fear, everything that you don’t understand about your sadness can be found in the presence of God. The human mind needs to find understating to rest; however, you can find peace even when you don’t understand.

You simply do this by intentionally finding a quiet place to pray. Think of prayer as a form of communication. Your prayers or time with God do not need to be elaborate they just need to be authentic. So, take some time, and try going to God for comfort.

The good thing is you can’t outstay your welcome with God. Sometimes our loved ones can get tired of our constant struggles, but not God! He is and always will be there for you!

In my personal experience, I have coupled mediation and prayer together, and that is perfectly fine.

What to meditate on

When you feel sad meditation is always a great resource to lift your spirits. You can do a simple meditation exercise that focuses on deep belly breathing. You can also find a scripture that helps with sadness and meditate on that as well.

Below is a link to a 3-minute mindfulness meditation, a meditation scripture, and a simple prayer.

3-minute Breathing Meditation

https://youtu.be/SEfs5TJZ6Nk

Meditation Scripture:

Psalm 34:18 ESV “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit”

Prayer to Pray:

Wonderful Counselor, I thank you that you are the rock that allows me to stand firm in the midst of the storms of life. At the moment my heart feels sad due to the circumstances of my life and I ask that you would bring comfort and healing. Revive my heart Lord and speak with power to my soul. Reach down from heaven and touch me with your love and blessing. Rekindle the fire in my heart that I would know joy and happiness again. May your name be exalted in heaven and on earth. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

This post helped you with what you can do when you’re feeling sad.

All in all, be kind to yourself. Practice the steps above, and most of all practice self-love! Be open to the process and don’t judge yourself. Go easy on yourself, and understand that you are only human. You are a spirit being, who possesses a soul, that lives in a body, and you are doing the best you can.

Make sure you practice self-love in all seasons of life, but especially in this time! Over time you will learn how to pinpoint your feelings and overcome them. Remember your well-being is one of the most important things in your life. You must protect it at all costs!

I appreciate your being here my friend, and remember that I am always cheering you on!

If you’re looking for a community for inspiration consider joining The Hope Club: Prisoners of Hope of Facebook here for free.

A quick bonus! Additional support

For additional support, you can also look into essential oils. I love essential oils and have been using them for years! They help with every mood, and great to travel with and carry on the go. It has been proven that essential oils have therapeutic properties that help lift your mood, support you, and offer a natural alternative to other products on the market.

doTERRA Essentials Oils are by far my favorite! Click the link below to learn more about doTERRA Essential oils and how they can affect your emotional health. Learn more about doTERRA Essential Oils and emotional health.

A few of my favorite doTERRA Essential Oils for sadness:

Lavender

Renowned for its calming and relaxing properties, many people use Lavender oil for emotional health because it promotes soothing feelings of calm and self-awareness, while easing feelings of tension. Some studies suggest that the chemical properties of Lavender may make it useful for reducing sad feelings.

Purchase doTERRA Lavender Essential Oil below.

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Past Tense

When it comes to calming emotions, the mint and herbal tones of PastTense Tension Blend work to provide grounding and balanced emotions. Past Tense helps to reduce stress and anxious feelings, as it uses essential oils that are known for their soothing effects on both the mind and body.

Purchase doTERRA PastTense Essential Oil below.