I’m sad and I do not know why

Query: “Many times I feel a strange feeling of sadness for no apparent reason. The truth is that I don’t have major problems or conflicts with my family or friends… but there are days when I would just cry. I don’t dare go to the doctor because I don’t know what I could explain to him and what I don’t want is to be given pills. Do I have to accept that I am like that and that’s it? Or can it respond to some hidden cause that I don’t know how to see?”

When we are sad but have no idea why

We do not believe that you should resign yourself to living with that sadness that you do not understand. It may, as you say, be something that you still can’t quite see, although, in that case, you most likely have some clue: if you make an effort of introspection, you could at least identify where the problem comes from. Perhaps it is a family problem, or perhaps in the work environment. In any case, it is likely that something that happens in your day to day generates some kind of negative feeling.

Undertaking some psychotherapy sessions could also help you at that point. However, it is possible that there is no hidden cause, since not having problems or conflicts, as you tell us, is not enough to be happy or to be satisfied with one’s life.

It is also necessary to have motivations. Are there things that motivate you, that push you? Do you have desires, longings, ambitions, expectations? If you find that you do not have any objective, however small, it is likely that sadness will settle in your life even if you do not experience conflictive situations.

You will probably end up realizing that the usual situation is just the opposite: when you start moving in the direction of what you want, you may start to have some problems. And they will be welcome.