3 Ways to Embrace Your Sadness without Judgment

As human beings, we experience plenty of emotions. We go through periods of happiness just as easily as we go through periods of sadness. It goes without saying that we prefer the former over the latter. However, sadness has a bad rap when it comes to showing emotion. Society makes us believe it’s less acceptable to be sad or it’s something that needs to be fixed. As a result, we may decide to deal with our sadness behind closed doors or to ignore it all together. Instead of shunning this emotion, what if we embraced it? Below are three ways to not feel so bad about being sad. 

1. Give yourself a break. When you’re not feeling so good use it as an excuse to have some quality “me” time. "Solitary time can help you have a better understanding of yourself, your thoughts and your emotions," says Katherine L. Muller, PsyD. Take the time necessary to really reflect on what’s getting you down. Being alone forces you to take the time to address feelings you may not even have known you were neglecting.

2. Take your sadness and access your creative genius. It is widely known that some famous artists like Van Gogh, Hemingway or Poe for example, created masterpieces during periods of emotional torment. Next time you’re feeling down, try something artistic. Maybe you’re the next Cobain and you don’t even know it. 

3. Become a better person. Joseph P. Forgas, a social psychologist who works extensively on sadness found that people who were in a sad mood paid closer attention to the needs of others, were more thoughtful and more polite. Instead of feeling the need to change your attitude, use those feelings of sadness to improve your interaction with the people around you.