With pulmonary hypertension we often have more sadness than others because we are dealing with so much loss. Sadness is to be expected when grief and loss are haunting our days and nights. Sadness remembers clearly what we cherished in our life pre-pulmonary hypertension, and it reminds us that the loss needs to be honoured. Sadness doesn’t want things to be brushed under the carpet; that is not its way. Sadness is absolutely determined to be noticed and for painful memories to be remembered. It stands firm and refuses to go away. Sadness builds when we try to ignore it, and waits patiently in our body to be expressed. When sadness has been unacknowledged it is stored in tension. One’s day can start out with the expected array of challenges but built up tension will have us overreacting, for example by being intensely irritable or angry in response to the smallest obstacle. That’s how sadness communicates, it gives us that overwhelming feeling, as if we can’t take another challenge or we will burst. It also interferes with our sleep. Unexpressed sadness has us waking up early wondering why we cannot get back to sleep. Repressed sadness also impacts our ability to be with others. We are less present because of feeling overwhelmed. For instance, we meet a friend for coffee but when they talk, it becomes hard to focus fully on what they are saying. It is easy to drift off given one has limited headspace. Sadness wants us to slow down—to take time for stillness and let it rise to the surface. Sadness appreciates when you can take time to do some mindful breathing (when possible) so it can rise up with the flow of the breath.
With pulmonary hypertension we often have more sadness than others because we are dealing with so much loss. Sadness is to be expected when grief and loss are haunting our days and nights. Sadness remembers clearly what we cherished in our life pre-pulmonary hypertension, and it reminds us that the loss needs to be honoured. Sadness doesn’t want things to be brushed under the carpet; that is not its way. Sadness is absolutely determined to be noticed and for painful memories to be remembered. It stands firm and refuses to go away. Sadness builds when we try to ignore it, and waits patiently in our body to be expressed. When sadness has been unacknowledged it is stored in tension. One’s day can start out with the expected array of challenges but built up tension will have us overreacting, for example by being intensely irritable or angry in response to the smallest obstacle. That’s how sadness communicates, it gives us that overwhelming feeling, as if we can’t take another challenge or we will burst. It also interferes with our sleep. Unexpressed sadness has us waking up early wondering why we cannot get back to sleep. Repressed sadness also impacts our ability to be with others. We are less present because of feeling overwhelmed. For instance, we meet a friend for coffee but when they talk, it becomes hard to focus fully on what they are saying. It is easy to drift off given one has limited headspace. Sadness wants us to slow down—to take time for stillness and let it rise to the surface. Sadness appreciates when you can take time to do some mindful breathing (when possible) so it can rise up with the flow of the breath.