58 Ways to Label and Express Your Sadness
Most people don’t talk about their feelings much. In fact, most people don’t even think about their feelings much.
Usually, we just go through our days focused on our jobs, families, problems, and everything going on in our lives without paying much attention to how we feel.
But, here’s the thing. Sometimes, a situation arises that requires you to know what you are feeling. Or, even further, you may even need to express what you are feeling.
Depending on how you were raised, your family’s comfort level with emotions, and their ability to use emotion words, you may find the process of noticing, labeling, and sharing your feelings anywhere from mildly challenging to extremely difficult.
In my work as a psychologist, I encounter wonderful people every day who are stymied or terrified at the notion of having to identify, name, or share what they are feeling. Most of these people find it difficult for a very good reason. In short, when you grow up in a family that ignores, diminishes, dismisses, or discourages the expression of feelings — I call this an emotionally neglectful family — you simply do not learn how to do it.
As an adult, this can make certain things that other people take for granted very, very hard.
For example, many people who grew up with Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) have only one or two emotion words in their vocabularies. They may use that one word over and over again, painting the complex landscape of their own inner emotional lives with one single word.
Common emotion words that I hear used this way include:
- Sad
- Mad
- Anxious
- Depressed
How Comfortable Are You With Your Feelings?
- Do you notice when you are having a feeling?
- Do you pay attention to your feelings?
- When you are feeling something, do you try to identify what it is or name it?
- How many emotion words do you know?
There are several skills that go into using and managing your feelings the way they are meant to be used and managed. If you don’t think of your feelings as useful or if you do not know what these skills are, or whether you have them, it’s okay.
Emotional awareness and management are not automatically a part of everyone’s life. But they are things you can definitely learn. I know this because I have taught these emotion skills to many people.
Today, we will address your emotion vocabulary. Guess how many words there are for the feeling of sadness? There are many more than just “sad” or “depressed.”
Read through this list with a highlighter, and think about the subtle differences in what each word describes.
58 Ways to Label & Express Your Sadness
Sorrowful
Tearful
Pained
Grief
Anguish
Desperate
Low
Pessimistic
Unhappy
Grieved
Mournful
Grave
Dismayed
Bummed
Despondent
Heavy-hearted
Scorned
Grey
Miserable
Blue
Longing
Disappointed
Grim
Gloomy
Lost
Moody
Burdened
Discouraged
Let down
Lousy
Dysphoric
Dreary
Dark
Morose
Dour
Besieged
Morbid
Down
Accursed
Abysmal
Ashamed
Diminished
Self-destructive
Self-abasing
Guilty
Dissatisfied
Loathsome
Worn out
Repugnant
Despicable
Abominable
Terrible
Despairing
Sulky
Bad
Sense of loss
How To Use This List Going Forward
Next time you perceive a possible hint of sadness or depression, don’t paint it over with the same old color. Instead, pull out this list and read through it, and find one or more words that capture what you are feeling in a more complex way.
The more you do this, the more your vocabulary will increase and it will also enrich you in other ways. As you struggle to name your feelings, it’s the same as exercising a muscle. Your brain will begin to process feelings in a new way and, believe it or not, this is a momentous change.
Have a word for sad/depressed that’s not on this list? Please share it in a comment!
Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) can be invisible and unmemorable so it can be difficult to know if you have it. To find out Take The Emotional Neglect Test. It’s free.
To learn much more about CEN, how it happens, and how it plays out in your adult life, see the book Running On Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect.