Share it and you’ll feel better; Sadness can turn life to drudgery

Life does it to all of us. Disappointment, loss, or periods of loneliness can make us feel sad. How we deal with sadness can influence how well and how quickly we recover.

Psychotherapist Carol Juengersen Sheets says some people deal with it outwardly. Some just keep it inside. This can be a mistake because it lasts longer. Sadness can sap energy, zap concentration and reduce productivity.

No one wants to exhibit a sad attitude to friends and family, but letting them know what’s going on with you has its benefits. For yourself, it means that you acknowledge the pain and are working through it. You allow yourself to accept your feelings and begin to deal with them.

Sharing your grief with others is helpful because they have the opportunity to validate the situation and agree that it’s sad. It allows them to console and nurture you. They can’t make the sadness go away, but their support can help you recover. Sharing your feelings also gives you the opportunity to show that you can be strong.

Sad events can be great motivators for change and improvement in your life. They prompt you to step back and determine how you can improve your outcomes in the future.

Getting more comfortable with your grief lays the foundation for joy and true happiness in the future, according to Sheets. It can also inspire you to help others or work for a charity. Most of all, putting grief in its place helps you to start anew and become a new, wiser human.