Outline – Topic: Feelings

1. Opening remarks:
- Hi, yall know me by the name Minh Huyen, but today, I’m gonna be psychologist Jessica
2. Bridge
- To start, lemme tell u a story. Abt a girl who keeps hiding her sadness
Do you guys think it’s okay or necessary to hide it?
We gonna discuss it in this talk, maybe after it, you will change your mind
3. Subject: Maybe now yall know what I’m gonna talk abt, it’s feelings, and we gonna focus
on sadness
4.
- agenda item 1: what is sadness?
+ what do u think sadness is?
 Sadness is one of the seven universal emotions experienced by everyone around
the world resulting from the loss of someone or something important.
 We use different words to talk about sadness: agony, anguish, broken heart,
hurt, sorrow, dejection, dismay, homesickness, distress, unhappiness, and
more. 
- Agenda item 2: Why do people feel sad
+ why?

Life is full of situations that may make people feel sad:

 having trouble at home (for example, family fights or domestic violence)

 having trouble at school or work, or feeling pressure there 
 moving home
 losing a loved one or a friend
 being ill, or caring for someone who is ill
 experiencing chemical changes in your body (from puberty, drugs, or
medicines)
 experiencing changes in your thoughts (for example, developing an unhelpful
thinking style such as being self-critical, or learning new information about
subjects such as poverty or terrorism).

- Agenda item 3: recognizing sadness

- There are 4 ways to recognize sadness

a.
 b. Vocal expression of sadness
Depending on the type and intensity of sadness, someone’s voice can either become
lower in pitch and softer in volume or higher in pitch and louder in volume (e.g.,
wailing).
c. Sensations of sadness
Common sensations include tightness of the chest, heaviness of the limbs,
stinging in the throat, and/or watery eyes.
d.  Posture of sadness
There is often a loss of muscle tone, a lowered or hunched posture, and looking away
and/or downwards.
- Agenda item 4: Sadness is different from depression!!!!

+ Feeling sad does not mean you have depression. But if your mood starts to interrupt
your life and how you function, then you may have become depressed. 

+ Key differences between sadness and clinical depression related to the cause for the
change in mood and how long you have felt that way, and other symptoms that might
be present. 

Agenda item 5: The function of sadness

As we all know, we do not get a chance to choose the emotions we experience.

However, our emotional responses shape our experience of the world. In order to
choose our responses wisely, we must first become more aware of and familiar with
our own emotional experiences.

- Responding to sadness in ourselves

Some people can derive pleasure from their sadness and may even seek out
experiences that evoke sadness for a cathartic effect. Others, however, have an
extreme aversion to sadness and may go to great lengths to avoid situations
that they believe may trigger the emotion. This may even cause some to avoid
attachment or commitment since it could leave them vulnerable to lose and
sadness. 
- Responding to sadness in others
Knowing how someone is feeling doesn’t necessarily mean we want to
acknowledge it -it depends on the context and the relationship. In some
situations, simply acknowledging that you are sorry for another person’s loss
might be helpful, whereas it may not be for others
Spotting sadness when it is subtle tells you that something important is
happening, that it involves loss, and that this person probably needs some form
of comfort. The expression itself, however, doesn’t tell you whether you are the
right person to give that comfort, or if this is the right time to offer it.
5. Conclusion:
Remember…

 Everyone feels sad sometimes.

 You can learn to manage your sadness.
 Feeling sad does not mean you are experiencing depression
 If you have been feeling persistently sad for more than two weeks or you have lost
interest in most of your usual activities, you might be depressed. In this case, it is
important to seek help.