In this time of pandemic and instability, sadness and melancholy have taken on devastating proportions in many people’s lives. This has ramifications that go far beyond its immediate impact of dampening our desire to act and to accomplish: It may even take the form of real mental and physical illnesses.
I’m not referring to the kind of occasional sadness that makes us withdraw into ourselves because of things like loss, grief, separation, or betrayal. In these cases, this is a natural sort of mourning that we must accept and process through prayer and patience until the pain is healed. If we don't do this, our emotions will build up and explode later on.
Sadness due to a loss is a healthy process, even though it involves moments of great suffering. But there's also a harmful kind of sadness, the kind that eats away at our well-being—sometimes in a silent way—until it settles in permanently. It’s directly related to our anxiety about what is to come.
Today we’re fine, but we become obsessed with the future and don't live in the present. What will tomorrow be like? Better? Worse? All too often, we have a pessimistic view and only think about the negative, especially when we are also thinking constantly about the bad things that have already happened and not about the good.
How can we escape this? First, by seeking treatment for our body and the soul. After all, an unhealed wound becomes infected. If we’re dominated by anxiety, melancholy, and other negative emotions beyond what is healthy and reasonable, it’s a good idea to seek help from a professional therapist.
At the same time, we have to take some spiritual initiative to emerge from our sadness and dive into the source of life -- God. We must cling to Him and rise up. Here are some tips:
