When you feel sad, you experience an unhappy emotion that might make you want to cry, be alone, or just sit quietly. Sadness is what you feel when something disappointing or painful happens: losing a beloved pet, saying goodbye to a friend who's moving away, or getting left out of a game at recess.

Everyone feels sad sometimes, and that's completely normal. You might feel sad after a bad day at school, when a favorite book ends, or when you don't make the team you tried out for. Sadness feels heavy and slow, different from anger's heat or fear's jumpiness.

When you're sad, it can feel like you're carrying something difficult inside.

Sadness usually passes with time, especially when you talk about it with someone you trust or do something that helps you feel better. Some sadness, like grief after losing someone you love, takes longer to heal. But even deep sadness eventually lightens, though you might always remember what made you sad in the first place.