Sadness isn't stored in one specific spot but manifests physically as tension, often felt in the chest, throat, lungs, and gut, causing tightness, shallow breathing, or a heavy feeling, with some traditions linking it specifically to the lungs and large intestine, while the brain processes the emotion itself.
The resulting body maps suggest that people often feel: anger in the head or chest. disgust in the mouth and stomach. sadness in the throat and chest.
The physical sensations that accompany sadness can feel as undesirable as they are intense – a constriction of the chest, watery eyes and a raw throat, to name a few.
Lung. The lungs bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide. In TCM, this organ is believed to be connected to grief and the following conditions: Emotions: Grief, sadness, and detachment.
Grief has a way of creeping into our muscles, especially in areas like the shoulders, neck, and jaw. You may have been carrying this tension for so long that you don't even notice it anymore. But as you begin to release, you might feel these areas soften.
Releasing trauma and expressing stored emotions can be done in many ways, all of which focus on finding a way to connect mind and body. Mind-body practices like yoga and meditation promote bodily awareness and relaxation. Therapies such as EMDR target traumatic memories that are stuck.
Signs and symptoms of complicated grief may include:
5 of the Hardest Emotions to Control
Chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are in charge of sending impulses between nerve cells, are the main hormones linked to depression and sadness. In specifically, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are three neurotransmitters that are vital.
THE FUNCTION OF SADNESS
This can be a signal to others saying that we need comforting, or to ourselves to take some time and recoup from our loss. Some people can derive pleasure from their sadness and may even seek out experiences that evoke sadness for a cathartic effect.
Everyday Signs That Trauma Might Still Be Stored
Someone might struggle with sleep, snap at a loved one without understanding why, or catch themselves zoning out in meetings. These moments might be brushed off as stress, fatigue, or personality, but they can reflect deeper layers of emotion still carried within.
Participate in mindful movement every day
Taking the time to be active every day can help relieve the physical pain of grief. Mind-body activities (like yoga, tai chi, or qigong) can be particularly helpful in relaxing the body and reversing the effects of stress and anxiety.
Know the 5 signs of Emotional Suffering
Your Body Holds the Stress
Chronic stress from trauma can settle into your muscles and tissues, leading to tension, pain, or unexplained fatigue. You might feel this as a constant ache in your shoulders, a tightness in your chest, or even digestive issues that seem to come out of nowhere.
The “90-second rule,” introduced by Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, reveals that an emotional surge in the body lasts only about 90 seconds—unless we mentally keep it alive.
Shame can have an everlasting negative impact and can ruin your life in all kinds of ways. It can be toxic and destructive to you in the following ways: Leads to a pessimistic view of the world and your own future. You end up suffering from self-critical thinking where nothing is ever good enough.
While there are many emotions, psychologist Paul Ekman identified seven universal emotions recognized across cultures: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, and contempt, often remembered with the mnemonic "CHAD SurFs," which are fundamental to human experience and have distinct facial expressions. Other models suggest different sets, like those focusing on basic brain circuits (rage, fear, lust, care, grief, play, seeking) or common emotional challenges (joy, anger, anxiety, contemplation, grief, fear, fright).
Emotional agony is a form of intense emotional pain, mental suffering, or psychological pain that some may experience for a short or extended period due to a specific event or mental health condition. In this state, an individual may grapple with negative emotions, sometimes leading to a dysphoric state.
Psychological symptoms
The "5 R's of Depression" refer to key stages in the illness's course and treatment: Response (symptom improvement), Remission (few symptoms left), Recovery (sustained remission/symptom-free), Relapse (symptoms return before full recovery), and Recurrence (a new episode after full recovery). Understanding these stages helps track progress, prevent setbacks, and manage expectations in dealing with major depressive disorder, notes Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/two-takes-on-depression/201103/depression-do you-know-all-your-rs and the Eisenberg Family Depression Center.
Unresolved grief can lead to various symptoms, including anger, guilt, and delayed depression. Some other common symptoms are hypervigilance, being clingy or detached. The best way to deal with unresolved grief is to get closure; you can write a letter.
In summary, some evidence suggests that antidepressants, in particular tricyclics, may be effective for reducing depressive symptoms in bereavement-related depression, even if their effect might not be as dramatic or specific for grief intensity.
The five stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – are often talked about as if they happen in order, moving from one stage to the other. You might hear people say things like 'Oh I've moved on from denial and now I think I'm entering the angry stage'.