Here's Why Sadness is Okay

By Hailey Cernuto

For the most part, I like to believe that all typically negative emotions can be productive in their own way. Anger can motivate action, loss stimulates reflection and the appreciation of what one has, and so on and so forth. One emotion I’ve struggled to find the silver lining in is sadness. 

We all get sad from time to time. Sometimes I get in a funk from anywhere from an hour to a few days and don’t know why. At times like these, I find it difficult to make something good out of the bad. That said, I’ve come to the conclusion that more often than not, embracing my sadness and wallowing, even just for a minute, is the best thing to do in order to move forward. 

We’re all only human. We can’t be happy or satisfied all the time, meaning that its okay to feel bad for ourselves once in a while. You have to give yourself a break. If you’re feeling down and can’t quite pinpoint a reason, it’s okay. Listen to your body and embrace the feeling. Lay down, eat some chocolate, take a nap, but just for a bit. I believe the same goes for the times you know exactly why you’re sad.

If you’re experiencing homesickness, missing friends at other schools, going through a breakup, or did poorly on a test you studied your hardest for, I think it is perfectly okay to let yourself feel the sorrow. When I’m sad, frustrated, or just not myself, my body’s first instinct is to cry. I know that for some, crying may be embarrassing or seen as weakness, but for me, crying is a true and powerful release. It feels like ridding my mind of all the thoughts and anxieties I have about being sad. It doesn’t require an explanation. 

With all I’ve said thus far, I want to offer some of the ways I cope with sadness (aside from crying). While I truly believe it is healthy to let yourself feel sorrow, there comes a point where you have to be proactive and help yourself. Being the overthinker I am, I cannot take my mind off the thing that’s causing me distress. That said, I do everything in my power to keep myself occupied. I surround myself with friends (in any setting), listen to music, leave campus or my house and walk around, and most importantly, exercise.

For me at least, it is nearly impossible to consciously think about what’s making me sad when I’m enjoying the company of the people I love and who make me laugh. With walking and exercise, your endocrine system plays a major role in lightening your mood. Physical activity and exercise stimulates the release of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins (the “feel-good” chemicals). 

Here, I want to slightly contradict something I said at the beginning of this article. While I believe it’s hard to find the silver lining in sadness, I do think that being sad teaches you about yourself. Experiencing sadness for any reason makes you realize how long it takes for yourself to overcome sadness, as well as what coping mechanisms work and don’t work. 

For anyone who perpetually struggles with inexplicable sadness or depressed mood and cannot find ways to cope, I highly recommend reaching out to a trusted loved one or adult, and/or taking advantage of Villanova’s counseling resources.