As much as we aspire to be happy in our everyday lives, there’s no getting away from the fact that life has its ups and downs. Our feelings are in a constant state of flux, and just as joy a natural part of the human experience, so is sadness. Whether we’ve said to goodbye to a relationship, or are grieving the loss of a loved one, feeling our mood dip is perfectly normal, even if we don’t desire it.

In a world which constantly promotes positive thinking, however, sadness is frequently portrayed as a problematic emotion. Thanks to these misconceptions, many of us attempt to suppress uncomfortable feelings like shame, anger, loneliness, fear, despair, confusion, believing that we’ll emerge stronger if we stifle our emotions and distract ourselves from the source of pain.

In fact, sadness can actually be a force for good. When processed in a healthy way, it can help us to accept, adapt and grow in ways we previously wouldn’t have imagined, and even help us move forward to more positive emotions. That being said, there’s a fine line between experiencing sadness, and getting consumed by your emotional pain; something mental health advocate Bryony Gordon has learnt to navigate over time and discusses in the below Nobody Told Me… podcast:

How to process sadness in a healthy way, according to a psychologist