Sadness is a fundamental emotion from which other emotions originate…

When something happens that threatens your feeling of security in your body, sadness is the first response. Anger, worry, fear and their derivative emotions follow.

Suppressed or excess sadness stifles lung function. In fact, many times, lung-related problems have a strong component of suppressed grief associated with them. Suppressed emotion creates somatization, the transference of emotional tension into physical tension. Tension restricts the flow of life force, blood, lymph, and all other metabolic processes, and creates a ripe internal ecosystem for disease.

In order to heal, eventually you need to face your sadness with self-forgiveness and compassion. Compassion for self is sometimes even harder to access and extend than compassion for others. Be easy with yourself if it doesn’t happen easily or quickly.

Sadness is the result of failing to stand strong in your worthiness and be in your body right now. Sadness exists as a reminder to honor yourself, as well as to re-assert a physical boundary of safety around you and restore the integrity and dignity of your being.

I go into great detail about grief and sadness in my book, Born to Heal.