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Why do I sometimes enjoy feeling sad?

168 Answers
Last Updated: 06/10/2022 at 5:49am
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Top Rated Answers
undergroundghouls
- Expert in Managing Emotions
May 31st, 2016 7:38pm
I sometimes enjoy feeling sad because it reminds me that I have the ability to feel something at all
Anonymous - Expert in Managing Emotions
June 3rd, 2016 7:52am
I think sadness can become a part of us sometimes. It doesn't define a person but it can become almost like a shadow. As humans, we don't like change. People who struggle with depression and sadness are in that dark place so much it almost becomes like a home. We relish the feeling of sameness and the twisted comfort it brings. Sometimes we feel we deserve to be sad. We cannot wait to just wallow and let out our frustrations. Sadness is weirdly addictive.
PeacefulFruit
October 2nd, 2016 12:38pm
There is something addictive about feeling sad! It is a very strange thing. Think about all the people who enjoy watching sad movies and crying. There is certainly something about it that we enjoy but it has no benefit, so why do we do it? I know that when I start to feel sad, it's like I want to justify it. So I start thinking of why I am sad. Often there won't be any real reason, and that in itself can make me sadder! I feel sad because I have no reason and it just turns into a spiral. I want my sadness to be real and objective because otherwise I am just being sad for no reason. Also it can be become a bit of an identity, I am the sad guy. I have all this sadness, my life is so hard, nobody knows the struggles I go through. I find myself looking at other people, hoping that they will reach out to me and understand my sadness. But in reality I keep myself away from people because I feel like they can never understand it. So it's a catch 22, I want people to help, but I hide away from them because I feel like they don't understand. So sadness is quite addictive and it leads to a downward spiral. I think recognizing this is what is happening makes it much easier to snap out of. You can almost laugh at yourself when you catch yourself doing this. For deep sadness maybe it takes some more work but a lot of sadness can be very easily let go of when we realize what we are doing is totally pointless and silly. Then we can be free!
Anonymous
February 1st, 2015 11:31am
Because by enjoying being sad we are embracing being sad, we are mindful of our state, we are having compassion for ourselves and by not fighting sadness, we can move on to become present to other states as they emerge in our experience
Hannah3
March 19th, 2015 2:01am
I think you could be the type of person who needs to fully experience the emotion you're going through, so you want to give due time to being sad. You may not see being sad as a concretely negative thing that needs to be escaped as soon as possible, but rather simply a different emotional state. We're often conditioned to think of it as something negative, but it doesn't have to be. Sadness, like happiness or angry, just signifies a type of response to a stimulus. It's okay to enjoy being sad, even though it is often misunderstood by others.
Anonymous
April 26th, 2016 7:50pm
Sometimes feeling sad gives us some much-needed attention. We're on go-go-go all the time. But when we're sad, we stop and pay attention to yourselves and how we feel. We may even treat ourselves better than we normally would.
IPersonalJesusI
August 18th, 2017 1:18am
Because feeling sad is better than pretending to be fine and bottling things up until they start to hurt you even more.
Greatlistener87
- Expert in Managing Emotions
November 9th, 2015 2:01am
Sometimes when you are too used to feeling sad, you can enjoy doing so or in other words get comfortable with it.
farr200216
October 20th, 2016 10:03pm
It is an emotion that makes you feel alive and that you can actually feel something. I sometimes like being sad because it makes me feel better after i'm done crying, it's like a cleanse
SophieJay1496
November 16th, 2016 9:35pm
In my personal experience, I get so used to feeling and being sad or low, that it becomes a comfort, a safety blanket, comfortable. I recognise being low and sad, and in that recognition, and in constant sad times, it is a safe place. Sometimes being happy, or feeling happy after a low time can be very disconcerting and very scary. I am used to being low and upset, happiness is somewhat of a rarity, and with that rarity comes anxiety and nervousness.
Anonymous
September 30th, 2016 5:52am
Allowing yourself to feel sad, just means that you're allowing yourself to be in touch with your emotions. Holding certain emotions back is unhealthy.
cloudystarlight
November 11th, 2016 6:30pm
In everyday life we're expected to feel happy and good because it makes others uncomfortable to deal with unhappy people. We learn to bottle up frustration, anger and sadness. However, sometimes it just feels good to just loosen up that emotional corset and be sad for a while. It's normal and healthy to not be happy all the time.
scotty4947
November 3rd, 2016 11:29pm
Throughout my life, I have enjoyed sadness before. My life was very boring/dull. I didn't have much going on and everyday felt the same. I enjoyed feeling sad because it made me feel something different, something outside of my day-to-day norm. Maybe the same is happening for you.
Anonymous
February 16th, 2015 5:18pm
I think sometimes its humbling to experience the emotion pallet. If were always in one set mood, the highs dont seem so high not the lows seem so low. When we experience things in different settings, I think it helps us recognize whats truly good in our day to day life
Anonymous
May 3rd, 2018 9:51pm
Because no one is happy all the time and it takes a lot of energy to pretend to be happy when you actually want to just be sad.
11lovingkindness11
November 3rd, 2016 3:01pm
Sometimes, I enjoy feeling sad because it lets me know that I am healing some where that I am hurting.
Anonymous
November 15th, 2017 8:37pm
Forcing yourself to feel happy all the time only puts pressure on you. Being sad sometimes makes you appreciate happiness.
FoodForTheSoul
September 24th, 2016 1:51pm
It just might be that, paradoxically, the only way you know you can feel better is by reveling in sadness for an ephemeral period. This can include tearing up which in my experience helps me feel a lot better.
NickDB14
April 19th, 2016 11:06pm
There's a healthy balance between too much happiness and sadness. I happen to enjoy being sad every now and again. It keeps my emotions in balance. :)
Blueteaburrito26
November 24th, 2016 1:09am
This is possibly because it has become a regular emotion in your life that you most likely fall back on as a cushion to feel normal or even to cut yourself away from situations you dislike. You may also be experiencing confidence issues which make feeling sad validated in your everyday life because you feel you deserve that.
flatterbelly
December 21st, 2016 12:28pm
Enjoyment and Sadness are not opposites. they may not be good pals, but they do get along. together Some people feel happy when they are alone and left to their thoughts, others are needy and crave for attention and feedback. Likewise you can derive a certain satisfaction from feeling sad, because you know you should. You might be upset if you were not sad when your goldfish died. "What's wrong with me! Poor goldie, who cares?" As long as you don't actually enjoy killing goldfish, then you are alright Believe me
peacefulHug92
February 19th, 2018 9:48pm
For me, sometimes saddness is comforting - you feel like you've letten go, and have just let yourself sink. I feel like we often force ourselves to be happy, so when we are sad, it's like we don't have to try anymore. (Wow I know that was deep sorry)
TheIrrationalBuddhist20
October 28th, 2016 4:08am
Sometimes our brains need to feel sad sometimes, and it is perfectly okay to give into those feelings. Just make sure they don't get too out of hand!
avanef
April 28th, 2017 7:35pm
That's actually not uncommon nor a weird or bad thing. Personally, I cherish the moments when I am sad or have my low moments over the good days, because it shows I'm changing and I am not bottling up all my feelings. We are all human and need to express our feelings, it's how we learn and grow and help maintain our mental health. It is important to cry and let yourself just let it out, I know when I do it isn't the best feeling ever, but I know that tomorrow I feel better and I know that later down the road in my future I'll look back on that low moment of mine and know that things were okay then and got better now. I think our low moments in life are one of the most life changing of them all because they change us into someone we can have full confidence and strength with. Without it, we are constantly feeling empty and thinking we are missing something.
PoliteOcean
September 6th, 2015 6:50pm
Your emotions are how you deal with the things you are going through. Everybody is different and emotions are the same for each situation. If you feel your emotional response to a situation is not appropriate, perhaps speaking to a counselor or therapist can help you to sort out those feelings.
Anonymous
September 29th, 2015 1:41am
Honestly, I think it's a natural feeling to be sad at times. It happens. Very blunt answer but quite true and that's how I seem to be able to understand it.
Strivingforzen
October 5th, 2016 5:27am
Without feeling any sadness in life, how can we understand what it means to be truly happy? I think of this sometimes when I am sad, it helps and also helps me to appreciate those moments of sadness.
krazyzoeyyy101
August 16th, 2016 1:07am
I personally enjoy feeling sad sometimes too. I think I feel that way because it reminds me that I can still feel if that makes sense. Perhaps you enjoy it because it shows that you can feel and that you care :)
Chanrda
October 27th, 2016 4:58pm
It's rare but i do feel the same, may be it is because we are strong from inside? Whenever our guard get down and we start to feel upset and weak then our heart support us and starts to fight that feeling and make us happy from inside, i also sometimes smile when i am very sad. it is just a sign of good and strong heart. ;)
Anonymous
September 23rd, 2017 1:27am
When we are trying so hard to feel not-sad, sometimes it is a relief to stop trying and take a break and feel sad. When we fight a feeling, it grows and festers beneath the surface. We can seek recovery from sadness and still acknowledge that we are sad to ourselves and how that sadness affects our lives. Some people think they are recovering but really they are fighting or hiding from their sadness, this causes internal conflicts because we rightfully feel like we're lying to ourselves. We can seek good happy feelings while still being honest about how we feel right now, and it feels good to be honest with ourselves. It's also okay to take a break from our recovery and just exist in that sadness, so long as we remember to continue seeking a slice of happiness later on. Alternatively, some people have pasts that have correlated feeling sad with reward or good things or are so used to feeling sad that feeling any other way feels unnatural. We are each different and we each know our own secrets and answers. Great question and I hope you find the answer that fits you soon, and good luck on your recovery from sadness.