Why I feel sad: causes and how to overcome sadness

Why am I sad? It is a very brave question that we ask ourselves and that helps us discover where it comes from and how to overcome it.

Therefore, we must first clarify that sadness is not the same as depression.

The mood decreases and sadness appears, when you go through a difficult period or confusion, which is totally normal, since feeling sad is part of the natural feelings of the human being, such as joy or fear.

But when it comes to depression, it is a mood disorder, where sadness is prolonged chronically and whose symptoms must be evaluated for a long time and can lead to pharmacological treatment.

Next, we will detail sadness in depth, to learn to overcome it and not let it become depression.

What is sadness?

Sadness is subjective, specific to each individual, and is reflected as a state of discouragement or decay.

Sadness is part of the basic feelings of the human being, whose function is to provoke a process of adaptation to the new reality or situation that is being faced. It is up to us how to deal with it.

Sadness behaves as a natural defense, activating the part of our brain, which handles emotions, specifically, the amygdala, belonging to the limbic system.

When we are sad our body enters a lethargic state (numbness or inactivity). Sadness allows us to get away from what surrounds us, to begin the process of overcoming by internalizing with our emotions.

That’s why when we’re sad we want to be alone, which is fine, but let’s not let our thoughts, being alone for so long, be counterproductive.

So, feeling sadness helps us to be empathetic when someone else around us suffers it, being social beings, we can help others, and accompany each other in the feeling.

Causes of sadness

There is no homogeneous explanation for sadness. Rather, it can be triggered by a plethora of causes, as we will see below.

Valuable losses

A valuable loss covers a large number of situations, and is subjective to each individual. Since each person attributes an emotional value to the people and material things that surround them.

The death of a loved one, losing a job, ending a romantic relationship, losing the opportunity to carry out a desired activity, are some of the triggers for sadness.

The different stages that a person goes through after the loss is called the grieving process.

Experience of adverse situations

Traumatic experiences can leave a deep emotional scar on the person, especially during their development in childhood and adolescence.

If the memory or experience is not treated with adequate therapy, it will have a cumulative effect over the years that can culminate in a state of chronic depression.

Traumatic situations that lead to the person’s inability to carry out their day-to-day routine (for example, after paralysis or loss of a limb) can also lead to sadness and, in the worst case, sadness. depression.

physical pains

We can say that physical pain has the function of alerting the nervous system that there is a potential risk that could affect our body.

There are different types of pain, and different ways to calm them. The simple fact of a belly pain caused by menstruation in women can prevent them from carrying out an activity or attending a desired event, causing the feeling of sadness.

Sadness can also be associated with physical pain when you suffer from a chronic disease that prevents you from leading a normal life, or making movements that were once daily due to the pain.

Physical pain evolves as the person ages. For example, joint or muscle pain, which leads to a feeling of sadness and helplessness.

Influence of the time of year

Winter is often associated with the saddest time of the year. One of the main reasons is the decrease in daylight hours, which causes mood swings, especially in children and the elderly.

Melatonin is the hormone responsible for inducing sleep. Its concentrations increase when exposure to light decreases, which can cause drowsiness and a certain melancholy, associating it with sadness.

However, we must remember that it depends on each person. For example, when a time approaches when you used to share with a loved one who is no longer there, sadness can appear.

Lonely Feeling

Sadness can be accompanied by a feeling of loneliness after experiencing a disappointment or a valuable loss. Since when feeling sadness, one of the first reactions of the individual is to move away, separate from the people around him.

This feeling of loneliness is subjective, it is not simply being alone, but the fact of feeling alone, even when surrounded by people. What can also lead to feeling frustration and even depression can be present.

Guilty feeling

Human emotions are complex, and they can mix with each other. In this case, our ability to reason in the face of a generally negative event.

The feeling of guilt can be influenced by factors, such as religion, society or upbringing.

By breaking some of these imposed ideals, guilt is experienced, or by making a mistake when making a decision, resulting in disappointment that becomes sadness.

Situations that are out of our hands can also generate guilt. For example, a father who was unable to attend his son’s school event due to a physical limitation (such as being ill).

Work or personal stress

Work stress can be defined as the grouping of emotions and physiological responses that originate from an adaptation process given by the conditions or work demands before which people believe that it is impossible to elaborate.

Likewise, we can apply this concept to personal stress, for example, in life goals that are set and cannot be achieved due to external or internal situations, which leads to a feeling of sadness, which could trigger physical symptoms.

Consequences of feeling sad

Sadness can wreak havoc on our bodies. Since it can generate a cycle where sadness derives, it causes physical and emotional consequences that, in turn, generate even more sadness.

Next, we leave you some examples.

Headache

Headaches are recurring in people who tend to feel sad frequently or suffer from depression. In addition to the headache, it can be accompanied by generalized chronic pain.

The stress or anguish that causes sadness generates a sustained muscular tension that generates the vague but present sensation of pain.

When the muscles located in the temporal region (or one hundred) contract for a long time, pain is generated. It may also be due to the accumulation of pain-generating molecules due to elevated cortisol in the blood.

chronic fatigue

The mind has power over the body. Sadness takes us away from the energy or enthusiasm that we usually have for any activity.

The person feels exhausted, despite not having made any effort. He feels like staying in bed all day.

This extreme tiredness can be present at certain times or throughout the day. Fatigue that lasts for days and weeks is a sign of developing depression.

palpitations

Sadness can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as anxiety.

It can be generated by thoughts (painful memories) or actions (verbal or physical, directed at us or at others).

These stressors generate an autonomic response by the sympathetic nervous system. That is, they are physiological responses that we cannot control.

The sympathetic sends nerve fibers to almost all the viscera, including the heart. When something triggers a reaction of distress or anxiety, electrical shocks are sent that raise the heart rate, generating tachycardia.

Constipation

The sympathetic acts on the gastrointestinal system as well and is responsible for motility.

Motility is the contraction of the muscles in the intestinal wall that move the food bolus. Nerve discharges from the sympathetic reduce these movements.

Which decreases the number of evacuations. This constipation, in turn, generates even more anxiety, creating a vicious cycle.

Lack of appetite

Sadness and depression affect our body’s endocrine and immune systems, as well as metabolism.

Negative emotional pictures generate pathophysiological imbalances, which are accentuated as sadness takes root in our minds.

Sadness or depression can raise cortisol and leptin levels (the hormone that signals our body when we are satisfied) and decrease the secretion of ghrelin (the hunger hormone).

Insulin levels and resistance to it are also altered, further altering metabolism.

Depression

Depression, unlike sadness, is not an emotional state. It is a chronic disorder that affects the person’s social, motor, and cognitive behavior.

It is normal to feel sadness and the accompanying symptoms, but these tend to be temporary.

Lack of energy, motivation, enthusiasm, self-esteem, problems maintaining interpersonal relationships, and changes in sleep or hunger schedules that last for weeks or months are strong indicators of depression.

Depression can manifest itself physically, as chronic and debilitating pain for no reason, attached to psychological symptoms, we recommend seeking professional help.

Depression can result from the inability to handle traumatic experiences or memories. It can also arise as a side effect after the administration of certain medications.

How to overcome sadness?

Sadness is one of those deep and intense emotions that reverberate in each of our thoughts. Therefore, overcoming it is not an easy path. It requires patience, self-control and discipline.

Here are some of the strategies used to overcome sadness.

Accept the feeling of sadness

Sadness is a natural part of our lives. Human beings are emotionally fluctuating beings.

What does it mean? We cannot be happy, amazed, angry, or sad all the time. On the contrary, it would become a pathological situation (for example, depression).

Feeling sad or discouraged is perfectly normal and reasonable, especially if the current circumstances or situation are not the most favorable for us or our plans.

Also, attributing a specific name or denomination to what we feel makes it easier to understand our current state and why it has happened.

When sadness becomes a constant (accompanied by other symptoms as well), it is something much more worrisome.

Drain by crying or writing in a journal

Crying is a complex psychomotor reaction involving a connection between brain regions regulating emotions and tear secretion.

The human being is not the only animal capable of crying, but, apparently, we are the only mammals developed enough for crying.

A study published in the journal New Ideas in Psychology by the neonatologist Carlo Bellieni theorizes, supporting other studies, that the rubbing of tears that run down the cheeks induces the release of endorphins, endogenous opioids with an analgesic effect (pain relievers).

Beyond these theories, we know that breaking into tears or crying has a cathartic effect. When the effervescence of sadness reaches a certain threshold, it is reflected externally in tears.

When crying, the body recognizes and faces sadness. This makes it easier to overcome these feelings and, in turn, to purge them from our system.

Writing down your thoughts helps you think about your emotions. Give them a specific name and form, helping you to recognize exactly how and why you feel that way.

Work on self-knowledge

Knowing yourself and your emotions is essential if you want to overcome sadness.

Why? It helps to identify everything in life that makes you sad or makes your mood worse, what you dislike and what you don’t.

Also identify self-defeating or unhealthy behaviors that only fuel your sadness. This will help you recognize why certain events generate sadness in you and others do not.

Share with loved ones

Humans are social beings. Our society is based on interpersonal relationships, on a small or large scale, that are the foundation of it.

Positive interactions stimulate in our body the release of endogenous opioids, oxytocin and activation of neuroendocrine systems (endocannabinoids) that make us feel good.

Talking deeply with someone, who listens and understands us, elevates our mood. It makes us feel more confident and willing to open up to others.

Trust, respect and communication are the pillars that make interpersonal relationships such valuable concepts for us that help combat sadness.

Pursue goals and objective

Planning is key. Why?

When we meet a self-imposed goal, the reward system in the brain is activated. It makes us feel good and confident, capable of anything.

Set short, medium and long term goals. Acquiring a hobby, going out more, reading more books, interacting more with other people, spending more time with our loved ones or spending less time at work are some goals that you can adopt.

Create realistic and daily goals. It’s good to have long-term goals, but they tend to be very non-specific and would require radical changes to achieve them in a short time.

Instead, establishing healthy habits in life and applying them constantly will improve your mood little by little. But this is cumulative.

Accomplishing one task motivates us to accomplish the next. This motivation is the fuel to create positive habits in life.

Within a few days, the result of these habits will not be noticeable. After weeks, months or even years, they will become visible.

Perform physical and recreational activity

Exercise awakens and motivates your body. It also makes us feel good, improves your health, mitigates aging, and raises self-esteem.

During exercise, our heart rate and blood pressure rise. This promotes circulation to the brain, favoring cognitive functions such as memory, attention, complex skills and more.

Practice meditation

Meditation clears the mind.

Many times, sadness or depression may chain us to self-destructive thoughts. Meditation breaks the chains, allows us to evaluate situations or behaviors without the associated emotions.

Yoga, breathing techniques, disconnecting from the world or even during exercise, meditation can be achieved. It does not require long hours in a static position. It requires a state of mind capable of self-assessment.

Consult a specialist if necessary

If the sadness continues or worsens, depression may be a strong possibility. In which case, we recommend that you see a mental health professional immediately.

They will help you locate the root of your sadness or depression and take proactive steps to prevent your emotional state from worsening.

Emotional cognitive therapies are highly effective therapeutic strategies that combat depression.