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Why Do We Need A Reason To Be Sad? 8/22/2008 5:56:24 AM
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down - The Carpenters
But why do we have to have a reason to be depressed? Is it a sign of normality to be Sister Mary Sunshine or Brother Bob Brightlight all the time? Or are we imposing our feelings of security and comfort?
We enjoy the happy emotions. They're friendly and make us feel good, too. Happy people beget happy people. Smile and the world smiles with you. Cry and you cry alone, right?
But what if today you wake up and you just feel sad? There's no rhyme or reason. You just don't feel like being happy. You feel like being a hermit, getting into your crawl space in the world and just be with yourself and the silence, experiencing your "sad." Why can't we allow ourselves, or others, to do this?
If you feel like curling up in a ball and crying, then do it. If you feel like cuddling up with your security blanket or body pillow and hold yourself, keep to yourself, it could mean that you just need a release. Depression has been described as "a wise messenger warning us when something is wrong in our lives--showing us how our choices and lifestyle are out of balance" (Susan Skog, Depression: What Your Body's Trying To Tell You).
Staying positive and happy takes a lot of energy, and I think we just reach points where we're just tired of doing it. Being pleasant and playing nice with others is a concerted effort, and you're likely to blow up and really do something damaging if you don't take your time out to balance yourself once again. Of course, we're talking about mild moments of depression and sadness, not medically debilitating ones, which are another course of discussion.
However, it is fair to say that our bodies tell us what we need. Often, we are too unaware or self-conscious to allow for needs that do not necessarily get embraced by the general public - like being depressed for no reason in particular.
Instead of loading of on a lot of anti's, get some rest. Take that time out and be quiet. Be in your quiet place. Make yourself feel secure and safe, relieve yourself of the pressure. When you're ready to come back out with your happy face, I guarantee you'll feel a lot better, and it won't be just an act.
Have a great weekend with whatever makes you happy, even if that means being sad....
