I recently came across a video addressing the need to be OK with feeling sad. This  really resonated with me as all too often, our Psychological difficulties arise when we have repressed feelings for long periods of time, often years and even turn into depression. These feelings are a signal to us that something isn’t right and we need to consider what that is, and what to do about it. However, when we are rewarded for being ‘positive’ and maybe not for being ‘negative’, our tendency can be to bury those feelings of sadness and act ‘happy’.

I think this is an important process to be aware of, for both ourselves and those around us, as the feeling of sadness can open a window into what’s really happening for us and help us uncover the material we need to work with in order to grow.

All credit goes to The School of Life for this excellent video.

Written by Dr. Olivia Thrift – registered Counselling Psychologist and founder of The Psychology Company.