Chronic sadness is not who we are.
It's a visitor that shows up sometimes to help us conserve energy and to protect us from feeling disappointed by the world.
Chronic sadness is not a state of being or even a reflection of who we are.
It is simply a temporary energy that lives inside of us at different points in our life.
If we look at it chronic sadness can actually be a gentle and even sweet energy.
It tells us things to protect us so our feelings don't get hurt.
When you observe chronic sadness carefully,
You can see it as a kind and loving energy that simply wants to be acknowledged just like all of the other energies in our body.
With that in mind,
I want to help you recognize the voice of chronic sadness so you can see it as chronic sadness rather than a part of your identity.
So here are some common statements that chronic sadness might make.
Number one.
You're never going to be happy again.
Nothing will ever get better.
Chronic sadness often makes it feel like the pain will last forever.
Like you are stuck in a tunnel with no exit.
This lie collapses time and makes hope feel impossible.
Number two.
You're a burden.
It can make you feel like others would be better off without you or that your presence is too much for them to handle.
This lie tells your nervous system to shrink when connection actually matters the most.
Number three.
You don't deserve help.
Chronic sadness twists your perception so you might feel your struggles aren't bad enough to warrant support or that asking for help is a sign of weakness.
This lie isolates you when reaching out could actually help.
Number four.
They're just being nice or they don't really mean it.
When someone compliments you,
Chronic sadness can immediately twist the thought into doubt.
Instead of receiving kindness,
It tells you that the compliment is superficial,
Automatic,
Or meaningless.
This voice is trying to protect you from potential disappointment or vulnerability.
You might notice yourself thinking,
She probably says that to everyone or he doesn't really mean it.
Recognizing this as the voice of chronic sadness allows you to pause and simply notice it or silently say thank you.
That was kind and real.
Even small steps like this help your nervous system accept positive energy and soften chronic sadness over time.
And number five.
No one cares about you.
Chronic sadness can make you feel invisible or unloved even when people in your life care deeply about you.
This lie blinds you to real connection.
When you hear these voices in your head,
Please recognize they are not who you are.
And these are not just random thoughts.
They are patterns that feel true because chronic sadness distorts the way our brain processes reality.
Recognizing them as distortions allow you to see them as messages instead of truths.
I want to share a personal story about how I recognized chronic sadness inside of me.
I had recently learned about the statements that chronic sadness makes in our minds and I felt curious.
I thought I might have some symptoms of chronic sadness but I wasn't completely sure.
And then one day I went to get my eyelashes done.
As I was sitting there,
The cosmetologist said to me,
You have beautiful eyes.
I said thank you and I felt myself smiling.
But then about two seconds later,
A voice in my head said,
She probably says that to everyone.
Right away I knew what that was.
I smiled again and I said to myself,
Oh that's chronic sadness.
So it was true.
In that moment I realized I was feeling chronically sad at that time in my life and I felt so happy to see the truth.
But without knowing that this was a voice of chronic sadness,
I would have believed it and taken it as my own thought.
As the days and weeks went by,
I became more familiar with the voice of chronic sadness.
I could place my hand on my heart and say thank you for trying to protect me.
Thank you for helping me not to be disappointed by the world.
Day by day I felt the chronic sadness melting away because I knew I didn't need it visiting me anymore.
My life circumstances and environment had shifted into a much healthier space.
So the truth was,
I was okay now.
Chronic sadness had done its job and now I could move forward.
I began forming a relationship with this energy.
I see how sweet it is.
It just gets a bad reputation because people often mistake it for who they are.
I wanted to share this story because the more we learn about chronic sadness,
The more we can recognize its voice and separate it from our true selves.
Doing this allows us to honor it,
Release it when it's ready,
And move forward with clarity and compassion.
Thank you,
As always,
For listening.
