Today’s entry is about strong emotions of sadness. At times, those feelings can be overwhelming. I was surprised to read the line, “Sometimes we need to be alone in our sadness, perhaps with a bowl of ice cream. . . .” Maybe the author was trying to be humorous. As someone who struggles with emotional eating, I did not laugh. (I did think about eating ice cream, though!) If you follow the ice cream method of solace, you may feel better in the moment, but after a while you’ll realize you are still sad/stressed/unfulfilled/angry/etc., and now you’re on your way to feeling uncomfortable in your body, too.
Wiltschek does mention that during times of sadness, having an empathetic person with us is helpful. Isaiah indicates that the Lord will offer solace to the people, wiping away their tears. While the Lord is always with us, an empathetic person is not always available.
This entry prompted me to look for additional positive ways for handling stress, of which sadness is one type. I want to share these ideas, especially for those of us who may benefit from an alternative to ice cream therapy. I found this list and graphic via a Google search. I note that focusing on gratitude is included in both.
I love those two graphics! I see that #6 of the first list says "eat healthy food" -- so curl up with an apple when you need some alone time. And follow it up with #7, "talk with others." Since I have retired, I've been reading advice about how to age well and all the lists stress the importance of having a social network.