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"WHEN YOU'RE FEELING SAD AND DOWN" Psychic Advice Column addresses inquiries related to: "sadness" & "how to deal with sadness", "feeling sad" &"types of sadness".

"Sadness"
WHEN YOU'RE FEELING SAD AND DOWN

Question: "Why do people feel very sad sometimes for 'no reason' - as far as I know, everyone feels like this sometimes. Do we pick up on other people's pain, or is it old pain resurfacing? What is the best way to heal this when it happens?"

"Psychic Advice":
There are many reasons for feeling sad, even if there seems to be 'no reason' for the sadness. When you're feeling sad and down, it is important to ask yourself a few questions to determine the cause and what you can do to heal and shift the sadness.

Take a moment to think about what was going on just before you were aware of feeling sad. What were you thinking or doing? If you can remember what happened just before the sadness came over you, then you may get a sense of what triggered it.

Were you thinking about yourself, your life, or something about your past? Sometimes things that we see, hear or even smell can trigger memories from the past that bring up old pain. Our thought patterns can also tend to bring us back to unhealed areas of our lives and resurrect that pain over and over again until we heal it. The most effective way to heal pain from the past is to accept what happened, forgive all those involved (including yourself), and be grateful for what you learned and gained from the experience.

Sometimes we can feel sadness that has to do with other people. Were you with someone, talking to someone or thinking about a particular person before you felt sad? We can pick up on another person's pain, even from a distance. Or we can feel sad about another person - either because we have empathy and compassion for their pain, or because they are depressed and their energy brings us down with them, or because they are negative and depressing to be around. It can also be that we are not resonating on the same frequency as that person, and we feel sad that we need to let go of them. Sometimes we can feel sad because of unhealed pain and judgments with someone else, even if they are unspoken or unconscious. In all cases, send that person love, blessings and forgiveness.

Before you felt sad, were you watching the news, reading something or hearing music? We are affected by the things we see and hear far more than we realize - even if we are not actively paying attention to what we are seeing or listening to, it makes an imprint on our consciousness. That is the reason why subliminal messages are so effective. Sometimes the things we see or hear can trigger emotions of fear, anger, or sadness, or can trigger old memories that bring up old emotions. The news is designed to trigger and manipulate emotions, so if you are sensitive, you should avoid the news in all forms.

It is also important to get a sense of what you have been eating. Some foods can trigger sadness, depression and mood swings. Some foods like chocolate can temporarily elevate your mood, but sugar highs can lead to lows. Eating fewer carbohydrates can help alleviate certain types of sadness and depression caused by blood sugar fluctuations. Likewise, the highs of drugs and alcohol also lead to lows - even some prescription drugs can affect your moods and biochemistry.

People who tend to be "bi-polar" can experience sadness after feeling extreme happiness. For these people, it is important to keep their emotions even and balanced, and not let them swing to extremes. If you are feeling too high or too elated, close your eyes and breathe in the word "peace", letting peace fill your heart until you feel peaceful and calm. Also do this when you're feeling sad and down to attain peace. (For some people, peace can feel like sadness if they are not accustomed to feeling peace.)

Negative self-talk is often the biggest culprit when you're feeling sad and down. It is conservatively estimated that we have 40,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, and most of those are repetitive and negative for most people. These thoughts become unconscious programs that run our lives without us even realizing that they're there most of the time. These thoughts determine our actions and reactions, and they determine our feelings about ourselves, about others, about the world, and about life itself. If you are feeling sad, ask yourself, "What have I been thinking?"

People who have had a history of depression can suddenly feel sad for no apparent reason. This is because depression is a rut and a well-worn pattern of negative and depressing thoughts that can be easily triggered. Those who have a tendency toward depression must be conscious of their thoughts at all times, diligently deleting the thoughts that no longer serve them and choosing new thoughts of what they now choose to experience for themselves. They must plant new seeds of thoughts, nurture them with love, and constantly weed out negativity in order for the garden of their life to flourish beautifully.

Some people are affected by the weather. Barometric pressure and lack of light can change people's moods and make them feel sad or depressed, especially on gray or rainy days. For many people, being in the sunlight is uplifting, or using full spectrum light bulbs for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  

Sometimes being tired or thirsty can feel like sadness - even feeling hungry or having low blood sugar can make you feel down. If your body's needs are not met, you can get low on energy, which can bring your mood down. Also, some hormonal reactions can make you feel sad, so do what you can to keep your hormones in balance.

Certain smells can affect your moods, whether you are aware of it or not. Some scents can be uplifting, like rose or citrus. Other scents can trigger joy, anger, hunger, satiety, etc. Aromatherapy can be very helpful for regulating moods, but a little goes a long way.

Sometimes we can feel sad because we're just having a bad day where nothing is flowing properly. On these types of days, we have to be careful not to take things personally or believe it is our fault. Some days we can be overly sensitive or moody, and we have to watch our thoughts, words and actions, especially with other people. Try to take a break on these days - rest, read, or do as little as possible.

We are all intuitive and interconnected, so sometimes we can feel sadness "for no reason" because of some global event or phenomenon that we are picking up on subconsciously. These can be global catastrophes, earthquakes, financial upheaval, violence, etc. It is possible to be affected by these occurrences even if you are not consciously aware of them.

There can also be stellar and planetary influences on our moods and energy. Astrology tracks the way that the planets in our solar system can affect different people at different times, and some people are more sensitive and susceptible to these influences than others.

Some people are also sensitive to the energies in certain places. If negative things have occurred in a particular place, that space can hold the energetic imprint and residue of that negativity. Sensitive people can pick up on that negativity, causing them to feel sad, angry, restless, afraid or uncomfortable. Also, some people are very sensitive to earth energies, such as vortexes and ley lines. Microwaves and other radio frequencies can also alter a person's mood and energy.

Using a pendulum can help determine if you are being affected by geomantic stress in a particular place. When you're feeling sad and down, a pendulum can be very helpful for determining whatever may be the cause of your sadness and what to do about it.

You can also ask questions inside yourself without using a pendulum to find out what is triggering your sadness. When you feel sad, close your eyes for a moment and take some deep, gentle breaths. Ask if the sadness you feel is really yours, or if it relates to someone or something outside of you. If it is yours, ask yourself if the cause is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual? If it is caused by something outside of you, is it someone else? If so, who? Trust the first thing that comes into your mind. Ask if there is anything you can do to help shift that sadness, in that person and in yourself. If it is outside of you but is not a person, ask if the trigger is related to a place, or to a global or planetary phenomenon. Keep asking questions, either within yourself or with a pendulum, to determine what is triggering your sadness.

As humans, we are meant to experience the full spectrum of human emotion. There is nothing wrong with feeling sad, and it is a perfectly normal and healthy part of life to feel sadness from time to time. However, you must remember that you have ultimate choice over your experience. You don't have to be affected by external reality, and you can choose your responses and reactions to the circumstances that life presents you with.

When you're feeling sad and down, you can choose to shift your energy. Stagnation of energy can cause sadness, as well as physical or emotional pain. If you move the energy, you will start the flow of positive energy and you will likely feel better. Many people turn to substances to alter their energy, such as food, drugs, alcohol, or even shopping, video games or television, but these are temporary "fixes" and can lead to deeper sadness and depression. Doing physical activity and exercise can move your energy and help you feel more positive and alive, getting you back into a healthy flow of life.

When you're feeling sad and down, do something creative and productive. Do something that really gives you joy and makes you feel happy. Be willing to take a break in order to break the pattern. Sometimes helping someone else when you're in pain can shift the energy and make you feel better. Above all, give love to yourself, and choose to have loving, supportive and kind thoughts about yourself, about others, about your world and about your life.

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