We live in an age when most reality TV shows climax in a tearful finale. But feeling sad – genuinely sad – is still taboo. Yet, sadness happens to us all, sometimes in heartbreakingly awful ways. If we don’t know how to be sad, it can be isolating for those experiencing it and baffling for those trying to help loved ones through dark times.

Today, most of us know intellectually that ‘sad’ is normal. But we’re not always brilliant at allowing for it, in practice. Sadness is going to happen, so we might as well know how to ‘do it’ right. And it’s time to start facing our problems and talking about them. Positive psychology may have become more accepted in mainstream culture, but rates of depression have continued to rise.

We’re trying so hard to be happy. But studies show that we could all benefit from learning the art of sadness and how to handle it, well.

About the author

Helen Russell was formerly the editor of marieclaire.co.uk, writes for the Guardian and is the author of the bestselling The Year of Living Danishly (TCM c.50k).

Russell is an author, journalist and speaker. Her first book, The Year of Living Danishly – Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country (TCM c.50k) became an international bestseller and has been optioned for television. As a correspondent for the Guardian, Russell writes for publications around the world, including National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph, the Observer, Grazia, Stylist, The Times and The Sunday Times.

She’s spent the last eight years studying cultural approaches to emotions and regularly speaks about her work around the world, including at TEDx and in her hugely popular Action for Happiness talks. As the former editor of marieclaire.co.uk, Helen spent twelve years in London but currently lives in Jutland, Denmark with her husband and three children.