How Can a “Hike” Help Me With My Relationship? pt. 3 of 4 (sadness)

Rock 3 – Sadness

Sadness is an emotional pain felt deep in the heart. It has a defining characteristic of temporary feelings.
 ~ Todd Hicks, LoveRecon

Sadness, like anger and fear, is a healthy emotion in response to your circumstances. Sadness is different from depression, though they are closely related and can be mistaken for one another. A person who is sad can, at times, exhibit a sense of humor, see the beauty in things around them and express an interest in the present and future. Someone who is depressed, however, finds it difficult if not impossible to do any of these.

The predominant cause of sadness in your life is LOSS. Losses come in many shapes and sizes. Some common losses are:

Any loss can cause sadness. The intensity of the sadness is determined by the size of the amount of “space” that the lost thing/person occupied in your life. For instance, the loss of fortune may mean very little to one person and yet devastate another.

The healing action or process for a loss is GRIEF. When you grieve a loss, you acknowledge that the person/thing is gone and that your life will never be the same. Denial will only postpone your healing. You own your feelings and allow yourself to feel them and mourn your loss. There are no “right” or “wrong” emotions in grief. You may feel anger. You may experience depression or deep sadness. The key is to work through your grief and not avoid it. Counseling, coaching or support groups can give you a safe place to do this.

One of the most helpful actions that you can take is to express gratitude for the opportunity that you had to have the person/thing in your life. This helps you move to acceptance of the loss and to experience JOY.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Write a loving note for your partner and stick it somewhere for them to find later.