{"id":117574,"date":"2023-04-12T18:20:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T18:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=117574"},"modified":"2023-04-12T18:20:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T18:20:48","slug":"how-not-to-be-sad-nine-tips-for-managing-the-emotion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/how-not-to-be-sad-nine-tips-for-managing-the-emotion\/","title":{"rendered":"How not to be sad: nine tips for managing the emotion"},"content":{"rendered":"

The goal isn\u2019t to not feel sad; it\u2019s to understand what\u2019s causing the sadness and learn and grow from it<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Psychologists say sadness is the emotion we experience when we encounter some kind of loss. It can be a difficult emotion to feel. \u201cBut the goal should not be to reject sadness<\/em>,\u201d says Ethan Kross, PhD, a professor of psychology and management at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who studies emotion and self-control. Like all emotions, sadness helps us understand our actions, our behaviors, and ourselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe work is really about learning from sadness<\/em>,\u201d says Deb Dana<\/a>, a psychotherapist in Kennebunkport, Maine, who specializes in complex trauma. You want to allow yourself to listen to what\u2019s causing your sadness and understand why it\u2019s making you feel sad, which she says will help you learn from it and figure out what to do next.<\/p>\n

To do that, you need strategies to cope with the feeling without getting stuck in it. \u201cThe really good news is that we know that there are many, many ways people can manage sadness<\/em>,\u201d Dr. Kross says. But he says you should know there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all; you may need to try a few different approaches to find out what works for you.<\/p>\n

Here are some tools psychic health experts suggest you try when you feel sad.<\/p>\n

9 Tips for Coping When You Feel Sad<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Shift Your Perspective<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We mistakenly think we\u2019re doing a better job when we can\u2019t feel sadness, says Steven C. Hayes, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada in Reno who developed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Instead, Dr. Hayes says sadness can be a useful emotion<\/a> that provides information about what\u2019s going on, like the oil light on your car\u2019s dashboard. \u201cIt doesn’t make sense to turn off the sensor, and that’s what we’re doing all the time<\/em>,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

    When you feel sad, adopting this perspective can contextualize sadness and transform how you think about the feeling. This is an evidence-based emotion regulation strategy that psychology researchers call cognitive reappraisal<\/a>, which involves reframing how you see a situation to make it less distressing.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Cultivate Awareness<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What can\u2019t awareness help with? It\u2019s a widely prescribed technique because it is a profoundly helpful approach, Hayes says. Think of awareness as flexible, fluid, and voluntary attention to whatever your current situation is (or the matter you intend to be aware about), he explains.<\/p>\n

      Practicing awareness can help you cope better with a host of challenging emotions, according to Mayo Clinic. In a large study<\/a> that analyzed nonpharmocological psychic health interventions, Hayes said he and his team found that a majority of approaches that have been linked to positive psychic health outcomes could be described as psychological flexibility and awareness.<\/p>\n

      Studies show that awareness can help with sadness, in particular. A study<\/a> published in April 2017, which had 171 participants, found that after awareness training, people were better able to regulate sad moods over time than with other techniques (like suppressing those feelings). Those who received a reappraisal training were also better able to regulate sad mood over time.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Try the 3-N Approach<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        When you feel sad, it can help to work through the feeling using a three-step process, Dana says:<\/p>\n