Up: [[Emotions]] Created: 2023-10-28 Updated: 2026-01-19 Sadness is a healing emotion, there to support release and rejuvenation. The questions to ask internally are - What must be released? - What must be rejuvenated? Sadness comes to help me let go of something that doesn’t work anymore. Releasing what doesn’t work provides room for what does. Tears often accompany sadness although they usually don’t for me. If in a situation where it’s not okay to cry, or where tears don’t come, a way to honour sadness is to inhale, soften your posture, and let go of tension as you exhale. - [[Chaos in Five Rhythms Dance]] #### Reflection Questions 1. What is my usual response when I feel sad? 2. When I feel sad, do any other emotions arise in me? If so what are they? 3. Think back to a recent time when I felt sad but didn’t know why. What might my sadness have been helping me release? 4. Do I have any (seemingly non-emotional) practices that help me relax and let go? > [!user] Karla McLaren, *Dynamic Emotional Integration Workbook* ________ In the Art and Emotions Course, we drew our sadness with our non-dominant hand for 2 minutes, listened to Sue talk about the above, then drew our sadness again for 2 minutes ![[Sadness before and after.webp]] Sadness on the right is shedding more and more tears and shedding sadness through her body too. The symbol of the spiral at the top is mine for being grounded and focused.