The Beauty of Feeling: Why Being Sad is Part of the Journey

By: Destiny Proulx- Kier, MSW Intern

Created: January 30, 2025

Published: February 6, 2025

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In a world that often prioritizes happiness, it's easy to believe that sadness is an unwelcomed guest in our emotional landscape. We make decisions based on how happy something makes us, share our best moments on social media, and measure the success of our lives by how often we feel good. Yet, as we chase after happiness, it’s important to pause and consider this:

How can we truly appreciate happiness if we never allow ourselves to feel anything else?

Sadness, though frequently labeled as a "negative" emotion, is just as essential to our emotional well-being as happiness. While society tends to push us towards positivity and avoidance of sorrow, it’s crucial to acknowledge that sadness is not a flaw to be fixed, but a part of the human experience.

Tobore (2023) points out that “Happiness is a key ingredient of well-being, and most people desire it more than anything else.”. It’s easy to get caught in the pursuit of this idealized state. On social media, for instance, only the “happy moments” are highlighted, leaving little room for vulnerability or the expression of sadness. As Tobore notes, “In this environment where happiness is greatly sought after, sadness has become a great evil to be avoided.”. But by avoiding sadness, we risk missing out on the depth and richness of life. Sadness, in fact, is an essential and normal part of the human experience. As Tobore explains, it is “an integral piece of a flourishing life,” and allows us to process challenges, grow, and ultimately become more resilient.

In a culture that overvalues “positive” emotions, many people struggle with acknowledging and expressing sadness. It can feel uncomfortable to admit that we are not okay, especially when happiness seems to be the ultimate goal. But there is value in allowing yourself to feel sad. As one psychology expert says, “Humans need a full range of emotions to work in order to respond to our own needs and those of others.” (Kramer, 2016). Allowing yourself to explore these feelings can be deeply transformative. Ultimately, “These feelings are what allow you to experience life at its fullest, and ultimately, they are part of what makes you human.” (Kramer, 2016).  By embracing sadness, we not only honor our own emotional needs but also deepen our ability to understand others. Feeling sad makes us more empathetic, more compassionate, and more connected to those around us.

It’s time to redefine how we view sadness. Instead of running from it or treating it as something to avoid, we should see it as a powerful tool for growth and understanding. Let yourself feel sad when you need to, and explore what those feelings are telling you. This is not a sign of weakness but of strength. Emotions, including sadness, allow us to live more fully, to experience life in all its dimensions, and to build resilience for the challenges ahead.

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References:

Tobore T. O. (2023). On the beauty of sadness: it's okay to say, I am sad, thank you. Communicative & integrative biology, 16(1), 2211424. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420889.2023.2211424

Kramer, J. (2016, September 26). Why it’s good to feel sad. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/handy-hints-humans/201609/why-its-good-feel-s