Let me sit with you: Why we need to talk about sadness and loss
“Let me sit with you.” These four simple words carry profound weight in a world that constantly pushes us toward positivity, toward keeping the glass half full at all times. But what happens when the glass feels completely empty?
Sadness is a topic many don’t want to talk about. We’ve created a culture where grief is treated like an unwelcome guest, something to be hurried along or simply ignored. But sadness isn’t the enemy of happiness. It’s its most necessary companion.
Loss Comes in Many Forms
Loss doesn’t discriminate. It arrives as the loss of health that strips away our invincibility, loss of wealth that challenges our security, loss of family members who anchored our world, or the gradual loss of happiness that leaves us hollow.
Each loss carries its own weight, its own timeline. The seasons it takes to overcome sadness are as unique as fingerprints, what heals one person in months might take another years, and that’s not a failure of resilience. It’s simply human.
The Bhagavad Gita reminds us: “As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” This ancient wisdom teaches us that loss and transformation are inseparable, part of life’s natural rhythm.
When We Feel It Deep
When we lose something precious, we feel it deep in our core. It’s not just emotional, it’s cellular. Our entire being recognizes the absence.
The Mind and Motion Card of Sadness reminds us that this depth of feeling isn’t a flaw, it’s proof of our capacity to love deeply. The intensity of our sadness often mirrors the intensity of our love.
Here’s the profound truth: what transforms from sadness is long-lasting. The growth emerging from authentic grief creates a foundation of compassion that nothing else can build.
The Heartbreak Question
Can heartbreak from loss truly be shed without judgment? Too often, we judge our grief, it’s taking too long, we should be stronger, we should be “over it.”
But judgment is the enemy of healing. When we sit with sadness without trying to fix or rush it, we create space for authentic transformation.
Five Steps to Move Through Sadness
1.Acknowledge the Reality
Stop pretending you’re fine. Sadness demands recognition without immediate solutions.
2. Create Sacred Space
Set aside time for grief. Light a candle, sit quietly, create rituals honouring both loss and feeling.
3. Express Without Editing
Write, cry, create art capturing your inner landscape. Let it be authentic, not pretty.
4. Seek Gentle Companionship
Find people who can witness your pain without trying to fix or cheer you up.
5. Trust the Timeline
Your healing unfolds at its own pace. Both progress days and backward days are normal.
The wisdom in seasons
Just as winter prepares soil for spring, our seasons of sadness prepare our hearts for new forms of joy and purpose. The person emerging from genuine grief work carries depth of compassion earned only through walking through the valley.
When I created the Sadness card for Mind and Motion, I wanted it to remind us that this feeling isn’t to be conquered, it’s to be honoured, processed, and integrated into our larger story.
Loss will visit us all. The question isn’t whether we can avoid it, but whether we can meet it with grace, allowing it to teach us what only sadness can teach about the preciousness of what we love.
If you’re navigating your own season of loss, let me say again: “Let me sit with you.” Your sadness is valid. Your timeline is yours. And somewhere in the depths of what feels like ending, new life is quietly preparing to begin.
Ready to take the first step toward emotional well-being? The Mind and Motion Cards are here to help you navigate your emotional journey. For more resources on emotional regulation, guided practices or purchasing the cards, visit www.monicapema.com.
Monica Pema
Integrated Wellness Expert
MSc. Psychology
“From Passion to Profit in All Walks of Life”
This article is intended for reflection and education. It is not a substitute for medical or psychological care.
