Sadness.

This post is a continuation of our series on emotions, and explores Sadness, an emotion which is often viewed as painful, but doesn’t necessarily need to be.

 

From time to time, we all experience sadness. Sometimes we feel it coming, and sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere. Either way, sadness has the ability to distract from everything else around us, to deplete our energy, and to make us uncertain about our future happiness.

 

But what if we changed our perspective on sadness? Sadness does not need to be viewed as a purely negative emotion. Nor is it, like all other emotions, fixed or forever. It can be looked at as a concept constructed by the mind, and another polarity of life to “help” us better process and cope with the ups and downs of life.

 

We can help ourselves by recognizing sadness as a time to go inward to cultivate a deeper understanding of our full emotional spectrum. Through every trough (low point), there is a mountain top (high point) waiting for us on the other side. To truly experience joy, we often need to be reminded of the full range of our emotions in order to truly appreciate happiness. Feeling sadness is just another experience that reminds us that we are alive and human!

 

The perspective that is needed to move us forward through sadness is often within reach. When we are sad, our mind may forget it has tools to help us turn it around. However, when we manage to pull back and play witness to ourselves and our thoughts, we allow our minds to serve us and excel in life; their true purpose.

 

Next time you find yourself down or low, try reviewing the following ideas to help lift that veil of sadness and use the experience to help you grow:

 

• Stop! And surrender to your sadness.
• Remember that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
• Find gratitude and patience for where you are at the moment.
• Sadness is a just temporary state of being.
• Review what you have learned. What if the universe just needs us to reflect?
• Love conquers all, especially for oneself.

 

Keep practicing mindfulness daily and stay present with all of life’s beautiful fluctuations. We cannot peacefully live with our minds running wild and attaching to our emotions. As Yogi Bhajan said, “If you want to progress in your life and grow, act not to react.” May you find peace in knowing that joy is just around the corner from sadness.

 

PS: If you are not going through a time of sadness yourself and would like to help others, please consider that one of the best ways to support them is by cultivating compassion. Try to avoid personalising their situation or feeling like you can “save” them. It is their journey and their lessons to learn.