How to Get Over Never-Ending Sadness? (3+ Therapist-Approved Tips)

This article will discuss what can cause people to feel, for a while, this sense of never-ending sadness. It will also explain what is the difference between sadness and being depressed, and how one can cope with this intense sadness and with depression.

What is sadness?

Sadness is an emotion everyone will experience in some moments in their lives, it can be an emotion that also has its positive effects on a person’s life. Feeling sad can help identify what in the person’s life is not bringing them joy anymore and what needs to be done to improve that.

Once you are feeling sad, it is important to embrace your feelings, understand you won’t feel sad forever, you don’t need to blame yourself or repress what you are feeling. Repressing can only make it worse. Think that you can battle what you allow yourself to feel.

Sometimes, if you don’t know what is making you sad, writing it down can help in two ways. It will help you identify what is going on, but also allow you to vent your feelings. Other ways to vent about what you are feeling can be through a good cry and a talk with people you love.

At moments it might seem that letting your feelings out will make it worse, but it is by putting it out, be it by crying, talking, or writing, that one can think about what they feel differently, and reflect better on what can be done with it.

What is depression?

Depression is a mental illness that affects around 5% of the world’s population. It is characterized by an intense sense of sadness that reaches every aspect of a person’s life. 

Aside from that, when a person is depressed they tend to feel empty like they lost the purpose of their lives. They might also feel a diminished sense of self-worth and that their self-esteem is lower.

A person is diagnosed with depression when they intensely feel its symptoms for at least two weeks. Although everyone can experience different symptoms of depression, the more common ones are:

• Change in sleeping pattern
• Change in eating pattern
• Lack of focus
• Lack of energy
• Less interest in things that used to give you pleasure
• Isolation
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Pains and headaches
• Thoughts of death and suicidal thoughts

Depression can be caused by multiple factors. A person that has a family history of depression has a higher chance of developing it. Aside from that, it can be related to brain chemistry imbalance, or because a person went through a traumatic experience, such as the loss of a loved one.

Also, a person that has lived through an episode of depression has a higher chance of developing another one in their lifetime.

Why am I feeling sad for so long?

In knowing what depression and sadness are, it is important to learn to differentiate both. Sadness is an emotional state that shouldn’t last for an extended period. Of course, if you are sad because someone you love died, this might go on for a while, but you will notice that little by little other aspects of your life will make you feel better.

You might laugh with friends, feel good about going back to doing some activities you love, and so on. But if your sadness goes on for a long period and it seems it has touched all the aspects of your life, you should start considering that you are depressed.

Depression is a mental illness, in which all aspects of your life turn blue. It’s different from sadness in which you can either pinpoint what is making you sad or you can still find joy in doing or thinking about other activities and times when you weren’t sad.

So if you are feeling that the sadness is constant and in every aspect of your life, it might be time to look for professional help, maybe a therapist or a psychiatrist that will help you understand what you feel and how to deal with it.

How can I cope with sadness?

When feeling sad, there are some things one can do to cope with it. The main thing is not to expect too much of yourself when you are feeling sad. Embrace your feelings and do things as you can, thinking of things step by step.

For example, if you wake up sad, try to establish small goals, to get out of bed, then another one, like washing your face. Aside from that, try to look for things that bring you joy, it can be doing something you like or even talking to friends. Reaching out to people you love can be a great way to get some laughs and feel a little better.

Another great way to deal with being sad is by stepping outside and spending some time in nature, it can help reduce your stress level and also help you get your thoughts out of what is making you sad or at least make you think about it in some other way.

How can I cope with depression?

In dealing with depression one needs to understand how intense it has been. If a person is going through a severe depressive episode medication might be needed, as well as therapy. 

The combinations of both can help turn your symptoms less intense, making it possible for you to understand, through therapy, what caused your depression and how to deal with it.

But not only through that one can cope with depression. There are day-to-day things one can do to try and make their life a little better. Those things are:

Set small goals

When we are depressed, things that used to be easy tend to become difficult to do. In some cases, even getting out of bed can feel impossible. So to not feel even more overwhelmed it is important to establish small goals, so you will not feel pressured, but you can also get a sense of accomplishment from it.

Moving your body

Going outside, catching some sunlight, and moving your body might help you to focus on other things and after the exercise, you can even feel a benefit from the endorphins moving through your body.

Be in touch with people you love

Being close to people you love can make you feel understood and supported. It can also give you a sense of connection and belonging, which can help you put life in a little bit of perspective to understand that you might be depressed now, but that it won’t go on forever.

Meditation and breathing exercises

Doing those can help your body and mind relax. It can make you focus on what is going on in your body and breathing, instead of all the sadness. It can help you even sleep better.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ): Why do I feel like my sadness will never end?

Does sadness ever end?

Yes, sadness is supposed to end. As said before, sadness is a brief period in which you experience that emotion related to one or most aspects of your life or an experience you went through. It shouldn’t be something that lasts a long period, nor should it be something that takes the pleasure of all the areas of your life.

If you ever feel like your sadness is taking too long to pass or it has impacted every aspect of your life, it might be time to look for a mental health professional because it might be that your sadness is turning into depression.

How can I make myself happy?

To say how one can make themselves happy, it is important to highlight how happiness feels different in everyone. But there are some things one can do to make themselves happy.

• Smile because you will get a sense of well-being from that, that will make you smile more.
• Exercising will help reduce your stress level and leave you with endorphins crossing through your body
• Sleeping well can make your brain, and your emotions function better
• Eat foods that won’t make you heavy or sleepy
• Be grateful for what you have in your life 
• Embrace the sad moments, it is through those that one recognizes the happy ones
• Face stressful things head-on so they don’t start looking bigger than they are
• Breathe deeply, through breathing exercises or for a moment in the day, it will help you center yourself.

Why do I cry so much?

Crying is an emotional response to something. Some people cry because of good things, the so-called tears of joy, but in most cases, crying is related to sadness. How much one should cry is a subjective matter. But one should be aware of how intense the crying is, and how intense they feel what is causing them to cry.

If it’s a constant event, that is guided by a constant state of sadness or despair, it might be a sign of a mental illness, and one should look for a professional to talk about it. If not, if it’s mostly related to one reason, sometimes a trauma, like the loss of someone, and it is not something that is preventing you from living your life, embrace that sadness and tears and know that it will pass.

Is it normal to feel grief after one year?

Yes, it is normal to feel grief after one year. There is no timetable in grief, although, usually, the first year tends to be the hardest, when you experience the firsts. The first birthday without the person, the first Christmas, and so on. 

But grief is not the same for everyone. Take your time, if you need some people to talk to, grief counseling is something that will always help, because you will be talking with people that are feeling the same as you are. 

Does life ever get better? 

Yes, life will get better. When we are depressed or feeling an intense sadness it might feel like it won’t. But it is always important to remember that you weren’t born sad or depressed, that these are all conditions, they don’t define you. And there will be a time when you will find yourself distant from these intense feelings.

Conclusion

In this article it was discussed why would someone feel sad all the time. The article explained what are the differences between depression and sadness and how each of them can feel.

Aside from that, the article explained ways people can cope with being sad and with being depressed.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write it in the section below.

References

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

Mouchet-Mages S, Baylé F. Sadness as an integral part of depression.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008 Sep; 10(3): 321–327.