Sadness is a human emotion that occurs when one experiences loss, defeat, and more. It is natural to feel sad from time to time. But if sadness seems to be a long companion and the continual sadness hinders your social and personal life, it is time to think about the problem differently. Many people suffer from clinical depression but are left untreated because they never get diagnosed. Even though the stigma is somehow lifted in Western countries, there’s still a taboo regarding the mental disorder. People do not want to label themselves as crazy or depressed. One cannot say for sure whether he is depressed or not until one gets clinically diagnosed by a professional psychologist. If you feel overwhelming sadness, these following rules can help you get back to your regular self.

Find The Cause: There’s always a reason to feel sad, or there should be. Heartbreak, passing away of a loved one, loss of job opportunity, not getting that promotion at work, lack of friends, etc., can lead to unhappiness. If you cannot find an apparent reason for your sadness, maybe it’s time to think deeper. Adults often carry trauma from their childhood unknowingly, and the fear they felt as a child, the helplessness they endured, is buried deep inside them, creating a continuous cloud of sadness. 

• Take a piece of paper and write down all the possible reasons you might feel sad at the moment. Go through each of the reasons to think deeply and reflect. Ask your friends and family if they have noticed anything odd lately about how you interact with other people. 

• Once you identify the reason for being unhappy, confront your ghost without running away from it. If you find out that you are still hung up on an ex and have strong feelings about that person, call them and confess your feelings. This activity is to get closure and not to get back together. Unresolved issues that are suppressed often lead to perennial unhappiness. 

• If you do not find any reason for unhappiness, maybe it’s time to visit a professional psychologist. You’ll be surprised to find out how far clinical psychology has come in recent years. Breakthroughs in depression treatment lead to more effective and fast outcomes for patients. 

Be In The Present: The goal should be to keep your mind from wandering into scenarios that are absurd and highly unlikely to turn into reality. You must stay in the present and see things as they are. When you realize that you are fine now and there’s no reason for you to be sad, you’ll have better control over your mind. 

• Daily meditation helps create a sense of calmness and allows one to see things as they are. Regardless of one’s mental health, one should practice meditation to get more out of life. 
• Whenever you feel an overwhelming sense of sadness is talking over you, try to go out and be around your friends and family. This sudden diversion will break the pattern of sadness. It is often at times of loneliness that people feel most sad. 

There’s no substitute for medication if one is suffering from clinical depression. Therefore, if the problem continues, even after you’ve done everything right, be sure to consult a professional and seek help.