The power in embracing your sadness

Have you ever had a disturbing thought pop up into your head? Thoughts that are distressing, repetitive and unwanted are called intrusive thoughts. NPR's Senior Visuals producer LA Johnson talks with a therapist and a researcher to figure out what these thoughts mean, where they ... Show More

Have you ever woken up with a crick in your neck after a bad night's sleep? Or feel like you can't rotate your head? Many people will experience neck pain at some point in life. Luckily, there are science-backed treatments and exercises to ease those nagging aches. This episode, ... Show More

Today's teens struggle with perfectionism and mood swings, and their parents struggle to have hard conversations with them, according to a 2024 Walton Family Foundation and Gallup poll. Teen psychologist Lisa Damour explains how parents can better support their kids as a new scho ... Show More

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Many of us may have a reflexive reaction when we notice we’re feeling down: we want it to go away. Maybe we think something is wrong with us and we automatic ... Show More

What is the power of a having bittersweet outlook? If you’re like most people, you’ve probably felt the pressure to always look on the bright side and act happy no matter what. While there is a place for optimism and positivity, you may actually be doing yourself a terrible disse ... Show More

We react to sadness in a variety of unhelpful ways. We try to suppress it. We experience guilt over it and apologise to the people around us for feeling it. We assume it means we've failed. We even fear it.But sadness will touch us all - and to be happier and more resilient we ne ... Show More

Are you elevated by sad songs? Have you ever been brought to tears by a TV commercial? Do you relish rainy days? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you know the power of the bittersweet. Yet chances are there have been times when you’ve struggled to square your m ... Show More

Life is a constant state of both joy and sorrow, dark and light, bitter and sweet. In a meditative conversation, author Susan Cain explores how being attuned to the bittersweetness of life -- and being fully present for both the happy times and the sad times -- helps us navigate ... Show More

I think one of the hardest things to do in life is to connect with ALL OF OUR EMOTIONS. Many of us work hard to deny or block out what we perceive to be BAD emotions.  What people don’t realize is that EVERY EMOTION serves a purpose, whether SADNESS and SUFFERING or JOY and BLISS ... Show More

Are you one of those people that finds solace and comfort in rainy days or melancholy music? It’s not quite sadness. It's more like longing. A beautiful ache that makes you feel more connected to the human experience. What is that specifically? And why does it compel us so? Forme ... Show More

Susan Cain is the #1 bestselling author of Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, which spent eight years on The New York Times best seller list, and has been translated into 40 languages. Susan’s T ... Show More

Have you ever wondered why you like sad music? Do you find comfort or inspiration in rainy days? In this profound, poetic talk, author Susan Cain invites you to embrace the feeling of longing -- or the place where joy and sorrow meet – as a gateway to creativity, connection and l ... Show More

Glennon, Abby, and Amanda respond to a listener’s question about how to find yourself when you’re at your lowest – diving into how to embrace and move through sadness, the gifts of the low times, and what they tell us about our future selves. Discover:  Why feeling anything depen ... Show More