There are many people who often get to feeling sad and sometimes confuse this with the feeling of loneliness. Imagine lying in bed at night, and this weird feeling creeps into place; most people would label this as sadness while others identify it with loneliness. But how do we tell the difference between the two emotions when one may be sad or that they are lonely or they can be lonely because they are always sad? These two feelings are often associated with the clinical long-term concern of Depression. Despite bearing some minor similarities, the differences between feeling sad and feeling lonely are noticeable. This confusion can lead us to neglect a serious condition that requires treatment, or by way of contrast, we can overreact to a normal emotional state.
It can be extremely easy to become confused about which emotion one may be facing at the moment, and how these emotions may be manifesting into the early stages of Depression. If one may be sad for no reason they may feel as if the cause is loneliness, and, in most cases, that could be true. In the same way, it is also hard to distinguish between the two because they both can happen often. Most people carry these emotions around all day, especially in the antisocial population which social media and cell phone texting could contribute towards creating. Other feelings that present confusion may be more present during the late hours of the day in which one may have more alone time which can result in past reflections. Sometimes these reflections can be negative and impact the overall confusion of sadness versus Depression. Loneliness and sadness is a normal human behavior that we have all felt before and most definitely will feel again. More importantly, If these emotions tend to happen a little too often, it can lead to Depression. These emotions can also be triggered by others. For example, loneliness can be triggered by a sad memory of someone who was once very special to that person while sadness can be provoked by the loneliness of missing that said person. Although Depression does not always lead to loneliness, feeling lonely is often a predictor of Depression, and it certainly leads to sadness. This is important because over time if left unaddressed it can impact one’s quality of health and wellbeing.
In contrast, unknown sadness can be a sign of a bigger issue: Depression. Sadness can be triggered by many events such as a death, a termination from a job, or a divorce. While loneliness can be caused by intellectual isolation; more often than not, one may feel that they can not relate or connect with people who do not understand their ways of thinking or how quickly their mind works. This disconnect can cause them to feel too different to be comfortable in many social situations. According to an article, “Social relationships are fundamental to our thriving,” says Louise Hawkley, Ph.D., a research associate in the Psychology Department at the University of Chicago. The fact that loneliness feels so uncomfortable is a reminder to pay attention to and nurture these relationships that can further your happiness.
Everyone feels lonely from time to time, but for some loneliness, this can come far too often. Feeling of loneliness can plague many people including the elderly. Alternatively, sadness also helps us appreciate happiness. When our mood eventually changes from sadness towards happiness, the sense of contrast adds to the enjoyment of the mood. However, a shift in the opposite direction is possible and sadness can be turned into Depression again. Being able to tell the difference between normal sadness and Depression might encourage you to take action and seek resources for an improved mood. As a final point, the primary resources indicate these two emotions (sadness and loneliness) are very normal and healthy to experience, however, understanding the differences and similarities between these and depression are the key points for knowing if you are Depressed or just plain lonely and sad.
