By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Sadness is an emotion that manifests through sorrow or unhappiness. It can be mild or severe, depending on the cause. Typically, the loss of something considered important triggers sadness. For instance, the death of a loved one may result in sorrow. While it is normal to experience unhappiness sometimes, it may become excessive and adversely affect daily living. Overthinking, inactivity, and self-criticism due to sadness can morph into depression, and individuals must adopt interventions to salvage the situation.

There are various ways in which sadness can turn into depression. Individuals repeatedly think about bad things when having low moods. This act is due to the desire to understand the reasons behind the happenings and the intention to counter the negative feelings. Unfortunately, overthinking magnifies depressed moods (Kecmanovic, 2020). Hence, instead of dwelling on things that increase sadness, individuals should focus on what can be done about depressing events.

Often, sadness makes people inactive. For instance, some individuals neglect their activities of daily living and opt to stay in bed. While this act is meant to help one escape their negative emotions, it may spur severe depression (Kecmanovic, 2020). In essence, restricting movement and avoiding social interactions leads to loneliness, which makes one prone to this mental disorder. Thus, individuals dealing with sadness should strive to remain active.

The current state of a person may trigger feelings of sadness. Failure to salvage the situation turns this emotion into depression. For instance, one may blame themselves for missing a dream job and experiencing unhappiness. When self-criticism and perfectionism escalate, one becomes depressed (Kecmanovic, 2020). Thus, it is critical to embrace self-compassion regardless of one’s situation. Individuals can achieve this stance by acknowledging their emotions, then directing care and understanding to themselves. By extending compassion, kindness, support, and warmth to oneself, a person evades depression.

Reference

Kecmanovic, J. (2020, December 1). Perspective | how to keep your sadness from turning into depression. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/sadness-depression-stopping-getting-worse/2020/11/27/b5fa88c8-0e3f-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html