Sadness is Not the End of the World
How often have you felt like the sadness you feel is the end of the world? Remember those moments in which you think that life is like a long, dark tunnel with no light at the end, no way out. However, there is always a reason to keep hope and faith alive. You just have to know how to find it.
Sadness is not the end of the world. In reality, it is all in our mind. Our mood determines how we perceive the world, and if we are feeling pessimistic and depressed, everything around us becomes dismal and insignificant.
How does sadness start?
Sadness is an emotion that, if not prepared for, may be strong and difficult to handle; it may take over our whole being. It does not take a lot of effort to feel sad, but it does end up being addictive, in a way, as novelist Gustave Flaubert suggested.
“Sadness, although it is always justifiable, is many times laziness. Nothing requires less effort than being sad.”
-Seneca-
Difficult experiences, like the loss of a loved one, can cause profound sadness. Falling out of love, an unsatisfactory job, complex family situations, disagreements, and disappointments… There are dozens of reasons that can set off a series of depressing situations that are challenging to overcome.
Sadness is not inherently negative. When going through a complicated situation, it is a completely natural and acceptable state of being. We would not be human beings with feelings if after the loss of a loved one we did not suffer from the emptiness they left behind.
However, it is not good to abandon logical thinking to pursue every whim of each of our emotions, including sadness. It is logical to go through a period of mourning, but not remain eternally in this state.
Overcoming sadness
It is important to know how much time we need for mourning. Once the trauma has passed, nothing stands in the way of progressively reintegrating ourselves into life.
“You cannot avoid the bird of sadness flying overhead, but you can avoid allowing it to make a nest in your hair.”
-Chinese Proverb-
We should never close ourselves off and say that we are unable to overcome our problems. In our own mind resides the ability to advance, to be optimistic, to take positive action, and to try to be happy.
There is no button in the brain that activates happiness. But we know what makes us happy, the things that we enjoy, and the the things that brighten our lives. We must look towards those things in order to overcome sadness.
Sadness should never be the end of the world. Actually, it should be the opposite. It is an opportunity to begin a new life in which we value everything around us more. We must enjoy everything we have, and everything we have done, because spending our entire existence suffering and feeling depressed cannot be justified.
Reasons for moving on
Take time to look around and really see what you have. Friends, family, a job…We all have achievements that make us happy, that allow us to feel positive, that give us the chance to live in the present happily, while we look toward the future hopefully.
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. At first it may seem weak and far away, but with effort and determination, we can get closer and closer, and each day it becomes brighter and brighter.
Figure out what makes you happy. Think about the person you have lost. They would not want you to be sad. Trust in the people that love you. Do that activities you enjoy, and have fun. Find the positivity that dwells inside of you, and utilize every last drop of it. Essentially, enjoy each second of life, because it is unique and will never happen again.
An emotion, like sadness, is not the end of the world. In reality, there are so many reasons and things that are worth it to keep moving through life. There are few reasons to allow yourself to be dominated by one emotion that leads to depression and melancholy.
Keep an open dialogue with your heart, a direct and sincere conversation. Search your heart for all the things you like, the things that give you hope, and the things that make you happy. Every day, practice giving yourself some love and affection, and also giving some to others. Always remember that sadness is not the end of the world, but rather a situation that can make you stronger and more capable of carrying on, with more and more reasons to be happy every day.
