Elizabeth Yuko/Thrive Global

Acceptance boosts your well-being
Pretending or forcing ourselves to be happy when we’re not is counterproductive and uses up a lot of mental energy. Taking the time to accept negative emotions like sadness, however, benefits your mental wellness in the long run. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that participants who tried to avoid negative feelings were more likely to experience distress, compared with subjects who embraced negative feelings.
It makes us better at teamwork and relating to each other
At times when we feel sad, we may actually be more likely to connect with others. Although some people do retreat into themselves and disconnect in their sadness, many others feel promoted to reach out to their networks more than ever for support.
If you’re feeling sad along with a group of other people — like the way a town feels after a natural disaster, or an extended family does after a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer — the shared experience of sadness increases levels of cooperation, a study published in the journal Psychological Science found. When people take the time to grieve and process how they’re feeling — whether collectively or individually — it helps them understand and relate to each other on deeper levels.