Where does sadness come from when you don't understand its presence? Why is it there when you see no reason for it? Sadness itself has no control over you; it is not a separate thing. If we imagine sadness itself as something we must get rid of, let go of, or solve, then we are going about it the wrong way. Sadness is there because of something you are holding onto, something that occurred in your past, something that is still with you today. Sadness is simply attachment to something that has happened in your life that you have not yet let go of.
Sadness does not exist by itself; it is a repercussion of not letting go. When we hold onto something in our life, we sometimes manifest a deep grievance with it, and sadness develops as a result. Because sadness is attached to something that no longer exists, you can be without it; it is not really you. Even if you do not know what you are holding onto, you can still let it go. Let yourself know that it is okay to let go; it is okay to let go of whatever it is that is weighing you down and causing you to feel sad. Let yourself know you can let go of the moment that brought this on and you can let go of sadness itself.
Sometimes, when we identify ourselves by something, we have a harder time of letting it go. We are not sadness and it is not us. It is simply an attachment to something in our past which is no longer real. Envision your past as a long string that you are holding onto. This string represents the sadness that is still attached to you. Forgive it for being there, for having made you feel this way. Accept that it was with you, accept how it made you feel, and accept that it is no longer you. Now you can let it go. It doesn't belong to you anymore and it is not real. Your past, the string, the sadness, all of it, you can let it go. Envision yourself cutting it away or simply dropping what was and how it made you feel. Sadness is you holding onto that string and your past. To let it go, simply believe you can. When it drifts away, allow yourself to feel what is not there, the emptiness that was filled by so much sadness; feel the expanse of that openness. Now imagine you can and will fill that space with who you really are. The past, what you were attached to, and all that sadness is no longer you; you have let it go and can move on.
Open up to the peace you will find when you finally see yourself, your true self, and learn how to truly be in the moment at Answers in Writing.
Adam Benedetto and Zoe Young are both dedicated to enabling others to reach their full potential in life, to help others release what is holding them back, and to find their true selves. Through years of experience and development, both have sought out the answers we all need to find peace, understand ourselves, and reach enlightenment.