Can sadness cause physical pain?

Sadness pain can be physical, in our body, and not only in our mind.

Body and mind are interconnected

More and more research discovers that we feel emotions as thoughts and as physical sensations.

When we feel joy, we are not surprised that we feel good in our body. When we feel sadness, our body feels it too.

Sadness pain in the body

Let’s focus on how sadness feels in the body. We usually say that we feel down, so we might feel heavy, slow. We don’t really want to move much as if we are waiting for a good news to come.

Usually we are sad when something important did not go the way we wanted or if we were waiting for something that we did not get. Maybe an important relationship ended, or we have waited for an important call for so long that we have lost hope.

Sadness, hopelessness and physical pain

It is when we not only feel sad, but also hopeless, that our the feelings become unbearable and we start feeling physical pain. The same happens when we are hungry. If we do not eat, we feel sharp pain.

The same happens with sadness. If we do not receive what we need, we feel hopeless and, if nothing lifts up our mood, we feel pain.

If you have reached the point of feeling pain because you are feeling sad, it is time to take it seriously. The first step is to understand what is it that you are hoping for and what you can do to ease your pain. Many times what helps is simply to have someone to share your emotions with. A friend or a member of your family might be perfect.

If you feel that you cannot share what is going on with you with people you know, you can seek the help of a therapist or a doctor who offer confidential consultations.