What to Do When You’re Really Sad?

I’ve been a bit sad lately.

At first, I just felt that this world is a game, and all the misery and accidents are just part of the experience.

What I needed to do was to evacuate from the sadness as quickly as possible.

But Gemini reminded me that this game might not have a “clear level” option. If I rush to fast-forward through the “sad” cutscenes, I might miss the hidden “awakening” quest.

The greatest loss is the door you close to avoid loss.

HP Bar is Empty

When I’m truly, deeply sad, this “game” metaphor isn’t fun at all.

I don’t have the heart to work because my brain and heart are on strike. They are processing wounds, not Excel sheets. Forcing myself to work is “internal friction.”

Today, my mission isn’t to fight monsters and level up; it’s to “stay in the safe house.”

How to “Accompany” Sadness

“Accompanying” isn’t “indulging” it, letting me spiral; it’s “acknowledging its presence.”

This “sadness” is like an uninvited, soaking-wet guest. I used to always try to push it out the door, and we’d end up in a brawl, and I couldn't get anything done.

Now, “accompanying” it means:

Separation: Let it sit on the sofa. I turn around and pour myself a glass of water. I am not the sadness; I am the person “feeling sad.”

Specification: I don't get lost in the “why am I so miserable” story. Instead, I “observe” the body’s sensations. Is it a tightness in my chest? Or a lump in my throat? Shift the focus from the “brainstorm” to the “body-sense.”

Lowering Life’s Standards: My life goal today isn’t “progress;” it’s just “to be alive.” Pouring myself water, eating, sleeping. Taking care of myself like I’m a comatose person with a-severe cold.

Allowing It to Flow: If it wants to cry, let it cry. If it wants to curse, write it down and tear it up. Don't fight it. As it flows, it will run out of energy on its own.

My “Temple of Earth”

I thought of Shi Tiesheng.

Gemini thinks he would “envy” this state of mine—this precious moment of being completely knocked down, where all the “normal” rules no longer apply.

Shi Tiesheng’s legs were “paralyzed;” I am emotionally “paralyzed.”

He would say: You are paralyzed well.

You can't dodge the lessons life gives you. My lesson right now is “sadness.”

I need to be like Shi Tiesheng and find my own “Temple of Earth” (like my workstation, or my bedroom) and just “sit” there.

The real “lesson” isn't something you summarize; it’s something you “live” through.

The Guest Bearing a Message

I don’t want this “sadness” to stay forever.

It’s not like a physical disability. It’s an “emotion;” it’s here to “deliver a message.”

I “accompany” it not to keep it, but to let it “finish speaking.”

I open the door and ask it: “What do you have to say?”

And I just listen. When it hands me the “letter” (the thing I fear most), its task is complete.

The only way to “show it out” is to “understand” its message.

My goal is: “What on earth are you trying to tell me? Say it and get the hell out.”

Happiness That Can’t Be “Invited”

Happiness can't be “invited,” especially when “sadness” is still sitting in the room. What you invite in then is called “anesthesia.”

Happiness is the wind.

I don’t need to “invite” happiness. What I need to do is “clean” the house and “open the window.”

Right in front of “sadness,” I go and pull open the curtains, take out the trash, and wash my face.

I’m not doing it to drive it away; I’m doing it to make this “house” (me) “habitable.”

Those tiny, insignificant “cleaning” actions—that’s me “opening the window.”

When “sadness” sees the room getting clean, it will get bored on its own. It leaves, and the wind (happiness) comes in.

You don’t need to “invite” anyone; you are happiness.

The Fluctuation of Sadness and Happiness

Why am I sad one moment and happy the next?

This is the “fluctuation” of being human; it’s proof of being “alive.”

That “moment of happiness” isn’t called “forgetting;” it’s called “coming up for air.”

I can’t stay submerged in the water of “sadness” forever. My body’s instincts will push me to the surface to “take a breath.”

True “accompaniment” is carrying it and continuing to live.

That “happy” moment is my “life force” rebelling.

That “happiness” isn't me “forgetting” the sadness. It’s that “happiness” that is giving my “sadness” a life-line.

I must have those “happy” moments to be able to “bear” the weight of that “sadness.”

That “happiness” is the “health pack” I use to “fight.”