Despair can help us mourn lost futures and chart new paths
Hope is indispensable. But when false hope blinds us to reality, a short bout of despair might be the antidote we need
by Juliette Vazard
Sadness and sorrow
The words that make an apology convincing
Research on the psychology of apologising finds that certain word choices are more convincing because of their mental cost
by Alice Gregory
In the hole
A metaphor for depression became a catalyst, and I started to reinvent my approach to suffering
by Tasha Eichenseher
Dreamlike fragments capture the pain and beauty of a father-daughter bond
Directed by Susi Haaning
Avoiding sadness can backfire, here’s how to turn towards it
Everyone has stretches of sadness. Shifting how you think about and relate to sad feelings could help you through these times
by Beth Kurland
Grief is not a process with five stages. It is shattered glass
The five stages describe a grief that’s knowable and controlled. An accident in my kitchen helped me find a truer metaphor
by Joshua Thomas
When emotions rot, they compost and transform into something new
A self that fractures through loss or grief marks a psychological shift, beginning a cycle of regrowth through decomposition
by Kelsey Day
What it means for something to ‘sink in’ emotionally
The impact of important events is more than an emotion or mood – it must ‘sink in’, which is a process that unfolds in time
by Matthew Ratcliffe
The ‘melancholic joy’ of living in our brutal, beautiful world
Beyond simple contentment or despair, there’s a ‘melancholic joy’ in looking, clear-eyed, at our brutal, beautiful world
by Brian Treanor