What to do When Feeling Sad

I was feeling super sad this morning and it was starting to affect me physically. It was triggered by looking at a cat's tail plant during my walk this morning. It reminded me of when I would pluck one of the stalks for my daughter, Ava, while I would push her in her stroller when she was little girl. I remembered when my younger daughter, Annabelle, would tell me, "Daddy, don't step on the lines!" Which made me feel even more sad missing those times I'd walk with her and play the "don't step on the lines" game. When I got back home from the walk, I saw their baby pictures all over the house which made me feel even more sad! Later, while driving to my client's house this morning, the feeling of sadness started to overwhelm me! I started to feel extremely tired, weak, and sleepy. That was when I remembered a concept that I learned from John Kabat-Zinn, the author of The Full Catastrophe Living. He says that we should become an observer to our own feelings rather than fall victim to them. He points out that if we're going to feel them anyways we might as well really feel them. Once you begin to take notice and observe the feelings like a scientist would, the overwhelming emotions lose their grip on you. They don't feel so strong and all-consuming anymore, and you begin to feel better. So I tried this while driving to work this morning, and now I really do feel better. I hope this concept helps you as much as it helps me.