Sadness is a healthy and useful emotion, but we don’t always know how to deal with it. In fact, it gets in the way more than anything else, because we always want to smile and feel good. So how can we free ourselves from sadness with confidence and serenity? Here are 3 steps to follow when you’re sad.

1 – Acceptance to free yourself from sadness

Accepting sadness is the first step.

Most of the time, we tend to pretend that everything is fine.

Because we don’t have time to be sad. We’ve got appointments, things to do and people to see.

So we take a deep breath, put our heads up and go on as if nothing had happened.

But sadness is an emotion.

In other words, as long as it is not welcomed and listened to, it will remain and even gain in intensity.

That’s why I wholeheartedly invite you to accept being sad.

Because it happens to everyone, every day.

So don’t be ashamed of feeling sad.

So, when you’re sad, I wholeheartedly invite you to stop for a moment and say to yourself, “I accept being sad.”

2 – Don’t mope

The key to freeing yourself from sadness is not to cling to it either.

Indeed, once we’ve decided to accept being sad, we sometimes tend to mope.

In other words, we tend to curl up in bed with the blinds closed and our dark thoughts dwelling in our minds.

But sadness is an emotion, and that’s why it only passes.

Indeed, an emotion is always fleeting. Once it’s welcomed and listened to, it passes in a matter of minutes. Yes, a few minutes.

In other words, understand that you’re not going to feel this sadness for days on end.

Let it go.

That’s why don’t dwell on your thoughts. Stop clinging to the false good reasons you have for being sad and staying sad!

To do this, I invite you to repeat to yourself, “I accept that I’m sad right now.”

Understand that your sadness will only last a moment if you don’t hold it in.

Of course, there are some things in life that make us very sad. That’s why sadness will visit us regularly over a longer or shorter period of time.

Because freeing ourselves from certain types of sadness is not something you can do once and for all. It’s a process. You have to do it over and over again.

3 – Listen to the message to free yourself from sadness

Sadness is a messenger.

That’s why, to free yourself from sadness, you have to learn to listen to its message.

To do this, you need to take some time for yourself.

Find a place where you feel good. Take 10 deep breaths so that your breath is calm and deep.

Then ask yourself:

How do I feel? Why do I feel this way? What happened?

You can answer these questions in a notebook, or simply in your head.

The point here is not to position ourselves as victims, but rather to understand how we feel and what triggered it.

Indeed, it’s essential to put your pain into words.

What’s more, when you ask yourself these questions, you’ll find that you’ll be able to comfort and soothe yourself.

Yes, you’ll find words that will help you heal.

Find out more about managing your emotions

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover How to cheer yourself up when you’re sad?
Discover Organizing your day: Top tips for a happy day

I recommend these 2 inspiring books on the subject:

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García, Francesc Miralles.

It’s a good read before bedtime, when the mind tends to run through all life’s problems. This book allows the mind to focus on what it should be, which is its purpose.
A good reminder of the basic habits I need to live life with ease. Nice to share with the younger generation or anyone who is lost in life to help them reconnect with themselves.
Also, it looks great on the shelf, I mean that robin’s egg blue is something else!

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself