Feeling sad all the time for no specific reason doesn’t always mean you have depression, but it does suggest you could be experiencing something more complex than sadness alone.

Sadness is a temporary state that often has a clear cause, like a big disappointment, the loss of someone close to you, or bad news from someone you love. 

This type of sadness can fluctuate throughout the day. In certain moments, the emotional burden might feel particularly heavy. You might cry often, feel numb or drained, and struggle to concentrate. 

At other times — when you get lost in something you enjoy or when a loved one distracts you — your sorrow may seem light enough that you can barely feel its weight. While it might linger in some form for days or weeks, it generally begins to ease naturally.

Persistent sadness is something else entirely. It can wrap around you like a heavy blanket, muffling the sensations and joy of everyday life. This sadness can leave you feeling low, empty, and defeated. You don’t know what caused your unhappiness, so you have no idea how to start feeling better.

Feeling sad isn’t at all unusual. After all, sorrow is a normal human response to disappointment and loss. Sadness that doesn’t have a clear reason behind it and doesn’t seem to improve, however, may suggest something else is going on.

Could it be depression?

While not everyone with depression will feel sad, unexplainable sadness you can’t seem to shake is one of the primary signs of depression. 

If your sadness does relate to depression, you’ll likely feel sad nearly all of the time — almost every day, for most of each day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer. Sadness, in other words, seems to become a constant companion. 

With depression, you’ll experience other symptoms, too. If several of the signs below accompany your sad or tearful mood, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with depression:

• feelings of anxiety or emptiness
• a sense of pessimism and hopelessness about the future
• increased irritability
• feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• little interest in the things you usually enjoy
• fatigue, lack of energy
• unexplained physical tension, pain, or digestive issues
• changes in sleep patterns
• slowed movements or speech
• restlessness or agitation
• trouble with concentration, memory, and decision making
• appetite changes

Chronic sadness, especially when related to depression, might also prompt regular thoughts of death or suicide. Even if you don’t have a plan to act on these thoughts, it’s always best to talk to someone you trust and get support right away (more on how to do this later).

Other factors to consider

You might begin to notice your feelings of sadness, along with any other symptoms you experience, follow a specific pattern. Depression can take different forms, and various underlying factors can have an impact on the way your symptoms show up. 

A few things to look for:

Rapid shifts in mood

People living with bipolar disorder often experience episodes of depression as part of a cycle that also includes episodes of mania or hypomania. 

You might notice you suddenly feel intensely happy, even euphoric. This abrupt change in mood might also involve:

• impulsive behavior
• restlessness and irritability
• a renewed sense of energy that leaves you fixating on certain projects or activities
• an increase in confidence and self-esteem
• less of a need for sleep

This episode might last a week, or longer. 

Somewhere around 40 percentTrusted Source of people with bipolar disorder have what’s known as mixed features. You could experience sadness and other symptoms of depression at the same time as mania. 

This combination of symptoms can make it harder to understand what you’re experiencing, which could add to your distress. 

Seasonal sadness

Maybe your sadness seems to arrive or intensify around the same time of year the days begin to shorten. Once the longer, sunnier days of spring and summer arrive, you feel better, year after year.

It’s pretty common to feel a little low in autumn and winter. The nights get long and cold, and there are plenty of days when you may not even see the sun.

If this seasonal sadness persists and becomes serious enough to affect daily life, you could have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs along with seasonal changes. 

Along with other common depression symptoms, you might also notice:

• angry, pessimistic, or frustrated thoughts about the weather
• withdrawal or increased avoidance of social settings 
• an increased desire to eat and sleep

To read the complete article here.

There are many reasons we feel sad, and luckily, there’s a wealth of knowledge to help you navigate. My first step would be to call your doctor.

Melinda

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