The Geometry of Sadness and Its Lingering Effects
Unfortunately, few human experiences are as universal as sadness. No one can live their lives experiencing only happiness — in fact, some of our saddest moments are often our most defining. It’s how we handle sadness that defines us as a person. The geometry of sadness shapes us differently.
The end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, parting ways with a lifelong friend — all of these moments disrupt our balance in life. However, handling and processing our negative emotions in these situations is crucial. When it lingers too long, sadness and grief can easily morph into depression and disrupt our lives more permanently.
Fortunately, dealing with sadness is a skill you can learn — as is recognizing when grief is getting out of hand. So, today, we’ll explore the complex geometry of sadness and how its different shapes can, ultimately, be molded into something productive and character-building.
Geometry of Sadness — A Metaphorical Look
Emotions are difficult to handle precisely because they’re so ethereal and difficult to describe — sadness included. For a moment, let’s consider the shape and geometry of sadness literally.
When we go through a traumatic experience, our sadness is like a sharp-edged triangle. As long as you remember the trigger for your negative feelings, the sadness never completely disappears. However, the combination of time and our personal development slowly smoothed out these angles.
At the end of the day, you’re left with more of a circle of sadness than a straight line. There’s rarely a clear beginning and end to negative feelings with truly significant events. Instead, the feeling simply becomes less intense — and it comes and goes in waves. However, the shape remains a part of our internal geometry.
Understanding the specific “shape” of your grief is also crucial for processing it properly. For instance, losing a loved one can leave you with a profound feeling of emptiness — while a divorce or the end of a relationship may trigger a sense of guilt or failure.
To avoid being stuck with unprocessed grief, you must look deep within yourself, observe, and accept your negative feelings to find some relief. Are you feeling grief or guilt? If it’s the latter, is your guilt objective or subjective? Knowing these details will help you come to terms with your sadness.
Complex Emotional Cocktails — Sadness Rarely Comes Alone
Sadness rarely manifests itself alone and is usually a part of a wider spectrum of negative emotions. Of course, this is partly because distinct terms for different emotions only exist in theory and conversation.
In practice, we experience complex cocktails of emotions that are intertwined with one another. For example, sadness is usually accompanied by guilt, sorrow, or even rage. Depending on the causes of your sadness, the intensity and presence of accompanying emotions will differ. If a boyfriend leaves you, it’s perfectly normal to feel angry at him for leaving — while also feeling sad that he’s gone.
To untangle and process this web of repressed emotions successfully, having a trusty support network of people you can rely on is always useful. In addition, you may also need therapy to gain some insights and move on — depending on the severity of the trauma you’ve experienced.
However you go through this difficult journey, it’s important to give yourself enough time and space to adjust to the new realities of your life — especially if major changes have occurred.
When Does Sadness Become Depression?
As you’ve probably noticed, processing the geometry of sadness and dealing with its lingering effects is hard work. Still, it’s necessary — if you don’t want your grief to morph into a long-term depression. This is a real danger if your sadness goes untreated and unattended for too long.
Once your negative feelings start interfering with your everyday life and become near-constant — you’ve probably entered into the first stages of a serious depression.
Besides these, some of the other warning signs of depression include:
- Withdrawal from your social life
- Prolonged feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Loss of interest in hobbies or other regular activities
- Sleep disorders (including both regular oversleeping and insomnia)
- Tendency for self-harm or risky behavior
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s imperative to seek professional aid immediately. Find therapists, psychiatrists, and other medical professionals who can provide necessary support and treatment.
Remember, seeking professional help is a sign of strength, not weakness. It’s also sometimes necessary to process your sadness and stave off depression.
Dealing With Memories
If your sadness has been triggered by a specific event or series of events, it’s easy to be retraumatized when you encounter related triggers. For example, your trauma may resurface when you walk down a specific street or near a location that brings back painful memories. In some cases, specific dates can be triggers as well. Unfortunately, these memories aren’t something you can get rid of completely. In most cases, the best you can do is to dull the sharp edges of grief down to something more manageable.
There are multiple techniques for dealing with traumatic memories and sadness in general, including:
- Journaling — jotting down your thoughts and feelings can make processing emotions seem more real and intentional.
- Joining support groups — exchanging experiences with people going through similar situations can help, make you feel empowered, and provide you with unique insights.
- Meditation — learning to empty your mind and focus only on the current moment can help you feel less overwhelmed by the past.
Besides these methods, remember that physical activity and fitness have a proven positive effect on your emotional well-being. You don’t have to become an Olympic-level athlete to feel the benefits either — a brisk walk and some fresh air each day will do just fine, or some yoga.
Wrapping Up
The geometry of sadness is complex and diverse, with a vast array of different emotional shapes. Its structure is entirely dependent on your personal experiences and way of life — so there’s no universal solution to sadness. That being said, there are effective ways to process sadness, fight its lingering effects, and prevent it from morphing into full-blown depression.
Written by Kendra Callahan