What is sadness? Sadness is defined as having grief, sorrow, or unhappiness. Sad feelings are also a part of depression and related to other parts of depression including poor self-worth, poor sleep, and difficulty enjoying things. Although we can sometimes get caught in our sad feelings, we don’t have to. We can undo sadness and start growing our happiness and well-being (take this well-being quiz to start). Here are some ways to deal with sad feelings.
Dealing with Sad Feelings
1. Beat rumination.
Rumination is when you get stuck in your head, thinking about all the negative stuff that has gone wrong or could go wrong. Rumination is a key feature of depression and contributes to so much unnecessary sad feelings. That’s why beating rumination is an important first step to getting through sadness.
To stop the rumination, try engaging your body in some activity that is intense enough that you can’t think for a few minutes. For example, you could do sprints or take an ice-cold shower. This shock can stop your brain from cycling and force it to focus on the present moment.
