6 keys to overcome sadness

Many of the people who go to psychological therapy define their problem through a word widely used in these contexts: sadness.

However, the fact of suffering psychological discomfort in our own flesh does not mean that we should understand well what happens to us. That is, the subjective feeling of being in a low mood does not imply being automatically aware of the problem that is affecting us, even when we believe that we know the cause. That is why under that label called "sadness" different needs to be solved can be hidden.

In this article We will explore the topic of how to overcome sadness by going to the possible causes of this, through useful tips for everyday life.

• Related article: "The 8 types of emotions (classification and description)"

Key ideas for learning to overcome sadness

This is a series of tips in summary format for how to overcome the feeling of sadness, a type of emotional pain that affects many people. Of course, keep in mind that they cannot replace the effectiveness of a psychotherapy process.

1. Keep a self-record as a journal

The first thing to do is familiarize ourselves with the thoughts and situations that we associate with moments of sadness. In other words, we should not limit ourselves to experiencing them on our own skin, but rather we have to see beyond and be able to link them to other aspects of our behavior and the events that occur around us.

To express it through a metaphor, you have to go from going to see a sad movie, to analyzing the sad movie from the point of view of a film critic. cinema, wondering about the way it happens on the screen is more or less emotionally charged, and why certain scenes make us feel certain way.

For example, if you notice that you often feel bad about yourself because you cannot do all the work you have pending, analyze when those ideas of guilt cross your mind; You may discover, for example, what happens to you after having been eating despite not being hungry, a mechanism that many people use to alleviate their anxiety "distracting themselves" with something that does not make them think about the responsibilities to attend.

If every day you make notes in a small notebook about what you feel when you experience sadness and the context (of space and time) in which this happens to you, you will be more adept at understanding the logic behind the fluctuations of state of cheer up. And from there, it will be easier for you to set goals to better manage your emotions and your behaviors linked to your emotions.

• You may be interested in: "The 6 differences between sadness and depression"

2. Stay up and running efficiently

To combat sadness, it is important not to let it drag us towards passivity. Eye, That does not mean that we should be constantly working; in fact, many people with a tendency to be sad spend too much time busy. The key is efficiency

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle based on procrastination (that is, the propensity to leave everything “for another time”), it is possible that the mixture unfulfilled goals and feelings of guilt keep you in that state of sadness and lethargy, feeding the idea that you can only live off that way. And if you are always on the go but mismanage your time, probably the mixture of lack of rest and unfulfilled goals will also give way to a feeling of guilt and helplessness.

Therefore, it is very important that you structure your time by keeping a clear schedule in which what you will do throughout the week is well detailed. This is also a good way to motivate yourself, because you will always have in mind your next goal to achieve in a matter of minutes or hours, with which you will feel a more productive person when you see that you are solving problems and needs in a sequential.

3. Take good care of yourself

It is very difficult to feel good emotionally if we do not keep our body in good condition. For example, something as simple as not sleeping well, not eating well or not maintaining hygiene routines can make us feel in a significantly lower mood in a matter of a few days.

Try to go to sleep when it plays and that the sun shines on you, make your diet provide you with all the macronutrients, vitamins and minerals you need, and exercise moderately according to your age and your physical condition. In this way, your body will better manage its energy and your psychological processes will not suffer, since the body does not you will be trying to "cover fires" sacrificing biological processes that are not essential to survive in the short term. term.

4. Maintain a rich social life

Sadness is associated with loneliness, and both elements are considered to be mutually reinforcing. For this reason, it is important that you have a satisfactory social life, which does not mean that you should have many friends or that you should settle for getting along with those who are usually close to you. If necessary, find new friends, taking advantage of the potential of new technologies and their ability to bring together people with common interests.

5. Don't try to block the discomfort

If you try to keep out of your consciousness those ideas that make you feel bad, they will return to it with more force. Try to accept their presence, and that way you will take away much of the power they have over you, so that you can focus your attention on other things.

6. If nothing works, go to psychological therapy

If you notice that nothing you try works for you and the sadness does not go away, keep in mind that this is relatively normal: learning to manage your own Emotions is a complex process, and not everyone has the predispositions that allow them to learn this spontaneously, without supervision professional. Therefore, you should know that in many cases it is best to go to psychotherapy and commit to this process that takes between several weeks and months.

Are you looking for psychological support?

If you suffer from psychological discomfort linked to low mood and you are interested in having psychotherapy services, I invite you to contact me. I have more than 15 years of experience serving adults and adolescents, and currently I offer therapy sessions both in person in Madrid and through the online therapy format by video call. To see more information about how I work or see my contact information, you can visit this page.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
• Forgas, J.P. (1998). On being happy and mistaken: mood effects on the fundamental attribution error. J Pers Soc Psychol. 75 (2): 318–31.
• Keltner, D.; Ellsworth, P.C.; Edwards, K. (1993). Beyond simple pessimism: effects of sadness and anger on social perception. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 64(5): 740 - 752.
• Sansone, R.A.; Sansone, L.A. MD (2009). Dysthymic Disorder: Forlorn and Overlooked? Psychiatry. 6 (5): pp. 46 - 50.
• Schuch, F.B.; Vancampfort, D.; Firth, J.; Rosenbaum, S.; Ward, P.B.; Silva, E.S., et al. (2018). Physical Activity and Incident Depression: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 175 (7): pp. 631 - 648.