Difference between sadness and depression How to recognize it?

Sadness is a transitory emotional state that is generally associated with negative moods and unhappy feelings.

Content

• What sadness sews
• Difference between sadness and depression
• Sadness and mental health
• Accept sadness
• Overcome sadness effectively
  • References

What sadness sews

Sadness is considered as one of the basic human emotions and is deeply rooted in the lives of all people. It may appear when we do not achieve our goals, when we lose a person or valuable belonging to us, or basically in any situation that implies a psychological, physical or emotional pain.

Sadness affects everyone without exception at some point in life, and is clearly discernible at behavioral and physiological level. Serious facial expression, crying and temporal social loneliness are characteristic of sadness. Feeling sad can trigger specific observable reactions both in the brain and in the peripheral nervous system.

Although sadness usually relates to negative circumstances, it is actually a very valid and useful emotion, since it alerts us about how we should treat ourselves, and also about how we want to be treated by others, in certain moments of crisis.

Somehow, sadness can cause us to move away from other people or lose interest in certain activities, but also can generate pleasure search behaviors. In fact, positive personality features such as alertness, reflection and recovery ability, can be increased through sad experiences.

Difference between sadness and depression

Sadness as emotion is characterized, among other things, for its period of duration, which is limited, since they are usually transient, although it lasts a few weeks. But when the feeling of desolation and despair is installed in us permanently, what we could call as a "long -term sadness", certainly this is no longer just an emotion, we would be talking about something else.

The Depression It is not simply an acute form of sadness; There are significant differences between the two states. The main one is that depression is a diagnostible mental health condition, while sadness does not.

People who feel sad can often identify the cause of their sadness, however, Many people who experience depression report that they have difficulty identifying the reason why they are depressed. While a sad person can maintain a better future and can consciously decide to change at certain times an unhappy mood, a person who experiences depression usually see life without hope, and may not be able to cope with or overcome symptoms of depression through conscious choice.

Each and every one of us will experience feelings of sadness in various moments of our lives. But unlike depression, sadness generally does not interfere with our normal functioning, especially in social interaction with friends, family, etc. A period of Sadness can last hours, days or weeks, however, feelings of depression can continue for months or even years Without any improvement. Depression affects approximately 350 million people worldwide, and women are twice as likely to develop this condition that men.

Sadness and mental health

Some people have real difficulties to identify and accept this emotion due to living in a culture that values ​​"positive" emotions above the most negative. This is a mistake because, as humans, We need to appreciate and understand all our emotions to be able to respond properly to our own needs and those of others. As sadness is not always acceptable in our culture and many people feel uncomfortable by witnessing the sadness of others, we often replace it with anger.

Sadness is a normal emotion and as such we have to accept it. In some cases, as we have already said, it can be a symptom of certain mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, antisocial personality, anorexia and bulimia. If we do not know how to manage sadness, negative feelings can end up affecting us in an unhealthy way, so we might need help to return to our usual state.

Accept sadness

Whatever your own sadness experience, remember that This emotion is part of the human being and allows us to become aware of the situation, It also offers us an intimate space for personal reintegration. On the other hand, we need the contrast offered by sadness in the face of joy to recognize our own vulnerabilities and those of others and to be able to appreciate our profits and losses. The ability to recognize and respond correctly to our emotions and those of others, will keep us well integrated personally and socially. It will be more likely to understand others and that they understand you.

Try to cover all the emotions that you have at your disposal, even those that may seem "weak" or "shameful", these are only the labels we have put ourselves at a social and cultural level. After all, these feelings are those that allow us to experience life to the fullest and, ultimately, they are part of what makes us human.

Overcome sadness effectively

When you feel sad, the first thing you should know is that it is healthy to respond properly to this emotion, and this is something that you should put into practice for both you and if you observe sadness in others. Let yourself take, you don't have to be "positive" all the time. If you feel sad, explore the feelings and discover what you need. Many are going well to talk about it with a loved one, others on the contrary prefer to have time to be alone, in order to overcome their feelings and accept them. Sometimes, just having someone sitting by your side while you experience these previously unacceptable feelings, it can be very healing.

Other strategies to cope. If you still are not able to overcome your feelings and they are very durable, you may go to a professional to request help.

References

• Ekman, p. (1999). Basic emotions. Cognition and emotion manual, 45-57. https: // www.Paulekman.com/wp-concentnt/Uploads/2013/07/Basic-Emountions.PDF
• Goldberg, j. (2012). Is it depression or simply sadness? http: // www.Webmd.com/depression/is-n-depression-or-the-blues
• Schimelpfening, n. (2014). Beyond sadness: is clinical depression or sadness? http: // depression.About.com/cs/amidePedsed/A/Sadness.htm
• Shirai, m. Suziki, n. (2017). Is sadness just an emotion? Psychological and physiological responses to the sadness induced by two different situations: "loss of someone" and "lack of achievement of an objective". https: // www.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PMC/ARTICLES/PMC5334320/