It is acceptable and unnecessary to conceal occasional sadness.

You’ll discover over 200 sad Instagram captions in this post for when you’re feeling a bit down and need to get something off your chest.

I’ve compiled the greatest sad captions from numerous online sources so you may use them anytime you need ideas for sad social media captions.

Even though we often share optimistic quotations on social media to generate good feelings, we must remember that emotions may be both positive and negative.

When unpleasant emotions arise, we shouldn’t strive to ignore or conceal them. But, it is perfectly acceptable to focus on and try to intensify happy feelings.

Stick with me to the end, and you’ll find an abundance of depressing Instagram captions for those times when life is not all pink and sparkly.

Let’s plunge in!

Top 20 Sad Instagram Captions

I’ll start off with the 20 best sad Instagram captions anywhere on the web. Have a look!

1. My silence is just another word for pain.

illustration of a sad girl representing sad Instagram caption

2. Here is the riddle of love: Everything it gives to you, it takes away.

3. The worst missing is missing your old self.

4. I’m busy saving everybody else when I can’t even save myself.

5. It’s sad how people become what they had promised they never would.

6. Tears are words the mouth can’t say, nor can the heart bear.

7. Just because I can carry my troubles well doesn’t mean I don’t feel the crushing weight.

8. Love became a memory I fear to remember.

9. In certain instances, happy memories hurt the most.

10. The pain I feel is the only thing that reminds me I’m still alive.

sad girl with a hat illustration representing sad Instagram caption

11. My mind is currently wandering in a dark and terrible place.

12. For the most part, it is by losing what we love that we learn how to appreciate it.

13. My only wish right now is to fall asleep before I fall apart.

14. I smile all the time so that nobody knows how broken I’m inside.

15. Nobody cares unless you’re beautiful or dead.

See also: 80 Eye-Opening Reality No One Cares Quotes To Set You Free

16. I might laugh and smile, but my heart is filled with sadness you can’t imagine.

17. Our eyes can speak. It is almost always futile to try and hide our feelings.

18. Letting go of the things you never had is actually the hardest thing to do.

19. Every time people ask me if I’m okay, it’s just a reminder that I’m not.

20. Hiding a thousand feelings behind the happiest smile.

Hiding a thousand feelings behind the happiest smile.

See also: 170 Most Inspiring Quotes About Smiling Through Pain

Smart Sad Instagram Captions

There’s nothing wrong with being open and honest about how you feel. Use these smart sad Instagram captions for when you’re in a sad mood.

1. I gave you my heart, but I didn’t expect to get it back in pieces.

 I gave you my heart, but I didn’t expect to get it back in pieces.

2. The worst feeling is wanting to cry but having to hold it in because you are in public.

3. Sure, closing your eyes will shut away the things that you don’t want to see. But closing your heart doesn’t mean you won’t feel anything anymore.

4. Keeping a lot to myself because it’s difficult to find people who understand.

5. My life is a collection of sad moments and comparatively less sad moments.

6. If I could go back in time, I would not have even been born.

7. He is a prisoner of pain. The heavy chains of his broken heart never let him move on.

8. The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.

9. The worst part is time leaves forever, but the pain it causes stays forever.

10. Pain is hard to avoid. Actually, just the act of trying to avoid it is already a pain.

Pain is hard to avoid. Actually, just the act of trying to avoid it is already a pain.

11. Breathing is hard. When you cry so much, it makes you realize that breathing is hard.

12. To let go or to hold on? Which is more painful?

13. Ignore me. I don’t care. I’m used to it anyways. I’m invisible.

14. Grief will always be the price we’ll pay for love.

15. Sometimes, all you wanna do is stay quiet just to find out who cares about you enough to ask you why.

16. Nowadays, forever ends when you find someone better.

17. Every heart has pain. Only the way of expressing it is different. Fools hide it in their eyes, while the brilliant hide it in their smile.

18. Pretending to be happy, hoping that the saying “fake it till you make it” actualizes.

19. I guess broken pieces of glass hurt one badly, and so do broken pieces of the human heart.

20. Sadness can motivate you to put in the effort to reach a happier place.

Sadness can motivate you to put in the effort to reach a happier place.

21. Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes… just be an illusion.

22. Here I am, expecting too much from people again.

23. Nothing always stays the same. You don’t stay happy forever. You don’t stay sad forever.

24. Have you ever woken up pre-sad? It’s like nothing even happened yet, but you’re already sad.

25. A heart that always understands also gets tired.

See also: 120 Emotionally Tired Quotes For All The Broken People

Catchy Sad Instagram Captions

Next up is a collection of really catchy sad Instagram captions. Have a look!

1. Smile and no one will see how broken you are inside.

Smile and no one will see how broken you are inside.

2. Such is the cruelty of life! It often tries to get in the way of our dreams.

3. Don’t say goodbye. Goodbye is to leave, as to leave is to eventually forget.

4. Tears are words the heart can’t express.

5. I miss me. The old me. The real me. The happy me. The laughing me. The smiling me. The gone me.

6. Everyone is going to hurt you. You just need to find that one person who is worth suffering for.

7. Sooner or later, everyone will cause you pain…You just have to figure out which ones are worth it.

8. I don’t regret that I fall for you because still, I love you.

9. The greatest pain that comes from love is loving someone who is not here…

10. If my absence doesn’t affect you, then my presence has no meaning.

If my absence doesn’t affect you, then my presence has no meaning.

11. If you threw a match at me, I’d probably explode.

12. Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable.

13. Everybody knows that something’s wrong, but nobody knows what’s going on.

14. At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.

15. It’s not like I can’t feel pain. It’s just that I can tolerate it much better.

16. Remember that pessimism isn’t really bad at all. People will disappoint you eventually, and you are going to do the same.

17. If only memories could be wiped as easily as tears.

18. People cry, not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long.

19. Wouldn’t it be terrific if we could turn back time? We could wipe all the sad moments away. But then, all the happy moments would vanish too.

20. No matter how much it hurts, sometimes you have to let go of the person you love the most.

No matter how much it hurts, sometimes you have to let go of the person you love the most.

See also: 130 Deep Goodbye Letting Go Of Someone You Love Quotes

Sad Instagram Captions About Life

Life gets sad sometimes, and that’s just how it is. Below you’ll find sad Instagram captions for sad life moments.

1. Our sweetest songs are those that tell of the saddest thoughts.

Our sweetest songs are those that tell of the saddest thoughts.

2. Everything was just like a fairy tale until you pushed me out of your world.

3. I tried really hard, I promise. But one day, I just woke up and I couldn’t handle it anymore.

4. I’ve been through so much that now I’ll show you my most active side in my weakest.

5. Pain is the only thing that makes me feel alive. I will never be good enough for you. I got that.

6. I know my silence and my tears will heal my pain one day.

7. Always hoping that one day I can be happy again.

8. Sobbing alone in some room and then walking out like nothing ever happened.

9. We used to talk for hours. Look at us now.

10. All human souls are connected, which explains why it hurts so much to detach from others.

All human souls are connected, which explains why it hurts so much to detach from others.

11. Stop looking for happiness in the same place you just lost it.

12. Who was it that dumped my dreams in a ditch? It was me.

13. Winter ended with hopes and then with the autumn, even my hope shed like leaves.

14. We distance ourselves to keep the sadness away, but it also prevents the happiness from coming in.

15. Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.

16. Unfortunately, being okay takes a lot of work.

17. Bad things will always happen, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it.

18. You’re afraid to tell people how you feel because it will destroy them, so you bury it deep inside yourself where it destroys you.

19. It’s weird, but when I recall happy moments during my despairing moments, I get even sadder.

20. The greatest way to feel unhappy is to wait for somebody else to bring you happiness.

The greatest way to feel unhappy is to wait for somebody else to bring you happiness.

21. There were days when she burnt her own heart for the sake of her loved ones, and then a day arrived when her heart was nothing but just a pile of ashes.

22. The worst feeling is pretending you don’t care about something when it’s all you seem to think about.

23. First, accept sadness. Realize that without losing, winning isn’t so great.

24. There is still blood flowing in my veins, but how come I feel so dead inside?

25. I hate my life because no one understands my feelings…

See also: 80 I Hate My Life Quotes To relieve Pain And Sadness

Sad Instagram Captions About Love

Love is a beautiful thing, but sometimes it can cause the worst heartbreaks. These sad Instagram captions talk about love.

1. I dreamt of a forever, but I guess he had a different view.

 I dreamt of a forever, but I guess he had a different view.

2. Love isn’t easy, and that’s why only those capable of handling it get it.

3. At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life.

4. Maybe it was as possible to succeed as a failure as it was to fail at succeeding.

5. And in the end, it’s not the people you miss, and it’s the memories.

6. He believed in love, but the fear of heartbreak stopped him from confronting his feelings.

7. This is the problem with getting attached to someone when they leave, you just feel lost.

8. Never have I intended to give up on anyone. But there were some sad times when I had to.

9. Beauty lies in everything but me.

10. I’m not afraid to fall in LOVE, I am afraid to fall for the wrong person again.

I’m not afraid to fall in LOVE, I am afraid to fall for the wrong person again.

11. Someone who overthinks is someone who overloves.

12. What do I have to do to make you see she can’t love you like me.

13. Loneliness turned his heart into a monster.

14. Dear Past, stop tapping me on the shoulders, I don’t wanna look back.

15. Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting them back together.

16. Old memories sometimes creep out of my eyes and slip down my cheeks.

17. When people can walk away from you, let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody who left.

18. Feeling too much! Everything just goes straight to my heart.

19. That moment when you burst into tears in your room, and you realize that no one knows how unhappy you are.

20. There is no worse sorrow than remembering the happiness on the day of pain.

There is no worse sorrow than remembering the happiness on the day of pain.

21. A broken heart is the worst. It’s like having broken ribs. Nobody can see it, but it hurts every time you breathe.

22. A crumbled piece of paper cannot be fixed to become a fine one and neither does a broken relationship.

23. I close my eyes and dream of a time when I wasn’t all alone.

24. Occasionally, we fall in love with people we can’t have.

25. I hate myself for missing people that don’t miss me.

See also: 150 Relatable I Hate Myself Quotes To Express Self-hatred

Sad Captions For Instagram Pics

Here are more sad Instagram captions you should check out.

1. I hate getting flashbacks from things that I don’t want to remember.

I hate getting flashbacks from things that I don’t want to remember.

2. I Miss the time when I actually meant something to you.

3. God, I’m always so bloody tired.

4. Different faces, different experiences, different monsters in this world.

5. I hate it when crying is the only way to feel better.

6. I thought I lost you, but you were never really there

7. There is no such beauty as that which is found in…

8. Sometimes, treating some people like stairsteps is a way to move on.

9. It’s easy to cry when you realize that everyone you love will reject you or die.

10. The sun doesn’t always shine, so it’s okay to fall apart sometimes.

 The sun doesn’t always shine, so it’s okay to fall apart sometimes.

11. I feel so miserable that I can’t be around normal people without making them miserable, too…

12. You simply broke my trust in true love.

13. No, I may not be physically alone. But mentally, there is no one in sight.

14. When you start missing, you fall in love again.

15. Happiness would be meaningless if sadness didn’t exist.

16. Help me before my heart gets too cold.

17. Out of emotions, filled with emptiness.

18. You lose yourself trying to hold on to someone who doesn’t care about losing you.

19. I will never stop caring, but now you have decided to push me away, so I will not stay.

20. Off to a world where there are no disappointments and no expectations. Just alone.

Off to a world where there are no disappointments and no expectations. Just alone.

21. Our eyes can speak. It is almost always futile to try and hide our feelings.

See also: List Of Top 190 Beautiful Eyes Quotes That Will Amaze You

22. Even the strongest feelings become void when disregarded and taken for granted.

23. I don’t need a particular reason to be sad. It’s just how my life is.

24. It still hurts that you’re doing completely okay, without me.

25. People come; people go. In the end, it’s just you.

See also: 150 Inspirational People Come And Go Quotes To Live By

Sad Instagram Captions For Selfies

Just because you’re sad doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a cute selfie. Here’s a collection of sad Instagram captions for selfies.

1. Yearning for the times when my smile was real.

 Yearning for the times when my smile was real.

2. I’m a simple person who hides a thousand feelings behind the happiest smile.

3. It’s amazing how someone can break your heart, and you can still love them with all the little pieces.

4. What do you do when the only one who can make you stop crying is the one who is making you cry?

5. Hugs and kisses are not enough if you don’t have the feeling of love and respect.

6. I could say “I’m fine” in front of you with tears in my eyes, and you would still believe I was.

7. These are days when everyday clothes feel like weighted blankets.

8. Hearts are breakable, even when you heal, you’re never what you were before.

9. Tears are words that need to be written.

10. It’s not like I like being alone, but it is that I’ve learned to walk alone.

It’s not like I like being alone, but it is that I’ve learned to walk alone.

11. And just like that, I’m forgotten.

12. Try to be happy in the hardest time.

13. I wish I could escape to a place somewhere where the feelings and thoughts won’t be able to haunt me.

14. Because when I sleep, the feelings of sadness, anger, and loneliness cease to exist.

15. You’re afraid to tell people how you feel because it will destroy them, so you bury it deep inside yourself where it destroys you.

16. The person who cried like hell when my eyes dropped tears has changed a lot.

17. I don’t care about people who don’t care for me.

18. Monsters don’t sleep under your bed, they scream in your head.

19. World may say that it’s over, but somewhere in the heart, a feeling called love is still there.

20. It’s not always the tears that measure the pain. Sometimes it’s the smile we fake.

It’s not always the tears that measure the pain. Sometimes it’s the smile we fake.

21. The only thing standing between me and total happiness is reality.

22. The saddest thing is when you’re on the verge of breaking down, and you try to look for a shoulder to cry on, but there’s none.

23. In the darkest nights, even I’m scared of my demons.

24. Waiting for someone else to make you happy is the best way to be sad.

25. “You’ve had your share of secrets, and I’m tired of being last to know.” — Taylor Swift

See also: The 100 Ultimate Soul Tired Quotes To Keep You Motivated

Sad Instagram Captions For Girls

These sad captions for girls are for all my girlies who’re feeling low right now.

1. She’s standing on a line between giving up and seeing how much more she can take.

 She’s standing on a line between giving up and seeing how much more she can take.

2. Let the tears come and water your soul.

3. I wish I were a little girl again because skinned knees are easier to fix than a broken heart.

4. Tears are words that the heart can’t say.

5. Nothing’s worse than to see them two together, knowing I will never have him again.

6. I may smile and I may laugh. But deep down, my heart is a pain you’ll never guess.

7. You’ve changed me forever. And I’ll never forget you.

8. You can’t be lonely when you’ve always been alone in the first place.

9. He did not break my heart, but he shattered all the dreams I had for myself.

10. I can unfriend you, unfollow you, but how can I unlove you?

 I can unfriend you, unfollow you, but how can I unlove you

11. It’s sad when you realize you aren’t as important to someone as you thought you were

12. Numb is my default mood.

13. And she finally gave up, dropped the fake smile as a tear ran down her cheek, and she whispered to herself, “I can’t do this anymore”.

14. Sometimes you have to know when to stop hoping.

15. “It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses.” — George Eliot

16. You made me cry, you told me lies, but I can’t stand to say goodbye.

17. It was when I woke up that the nightmare began.

18. The saddest thing in the world is loving someone who used to love you.

19. He proved that promises are made to be broken.

20. The sad truth is that those who love more are loved less.

 The sad truth is that those who love more are loved less.

See also: 130 One-Sided Effort Relationship Quotes To Comfort You

Sad Instagram Captions For Boys

I’ve also prepared a collection of sad Instagram captions for boys.

1. What to do with all the sadness? Channel it and convert it into creative energy.

What to do with all the sadness Channel it and convert it into creative energy.

2. I never knew that you could give my place to someone else so soon.

3. Even a million tears won’t bring anything back.

4. Expect less. Because you are not getting more anyway.

5. Only if I could get a mask to hide the pallor of the pain you gifted.

6. The hardest part is waking up in the morning. Remembering what you were trying to forget last night.

7. Nowadays, forever is a short span of time, which ends when they find someone better.

8. Can’t deny that I want you.

9. Being alone isn’t really as bad as being with people who make you feel alone.

10. Unhappiness begins when one becomes too clingy and attached.

 Unhappiness begins when one becomes too clingy and attached.

11. I stay strong assuming god doesn’t exist.

12. My own expectations caused most of the pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.

13. Sometimes, you keep on waiting for that perfect day when everything is actually going to be ‘OKAY.

14. Instead of wiping your tears, wipe away the people who create them.

15. Most painful scar in some: The scar that causes the most painful scar is the scar that is not visible.

16. Sometimes, you’ve got to be able to listen to yourself and be okay with no one else understanding.

17. I think I’m afraid to be happy because whenever I get too happy, something bad always happens.

18. I need a break from the loneliness that is totally consuming me.

19. His heart became too fragile and deprived of happiness. I think his heart was thirsty, and the thirst was for love.

20. He was a believer in love, but he refrained from expressing his emotions out of fear of heartbreak.

He was a believer in love, but he refrained from expressing his emotions out of fear of heartbreak.

See also: 150 Best Love Failure Quotes For All The Heart-Broken Souls

Sad Quotes That Can Be Used As Captions

Below is a list of sad quotes for Instagram you can use as Instagram captions.

1. “Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart. “ — Jose N. Harris

Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart

2. “A marriage is no amusement but a solemn act and generally a sad one.” – Queen Victoria

3. “Sad things happen. They do. But we don’t need to live sad forever.” — Mattie Stepanek

4. “We must understand that sadness is an ocean, and sometimes we drown, while other days we are forced to swim.” — R.M. Drake

5. “For we are born in other’s pain, and perish in our own.” — Francis Thompson

For we are born in other’s pain, and perish in our own.

6. “You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps on beating, just the same.” — Fannie Flagg

7. “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad, and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” ― Stephen Chbosky

8. “It’s funny how we feel so much, but we cannot say a word. We are screaming inside, but we can’t be heard.” — Sarah McLachlan

9. “Experiencing sadness and anger can make you feel more creative, and by being creative, you can get beyond your pain or negativity.” — Yoko Ono

10. “One thing you can’t hide – is when you’re crippled inside.” — John Lennon

One thing you can’t hide - is when you’re crippled inside

11. “Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water.” — Christopher Morley

12. “Sadness is but a wall between two gardens.” — Kahlil Gibran

13. “I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” — Mother Teresa

14. “The shattering of a heart when being broken is the loudest quiet ever.” — Carroll Bryant

15. “Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler.

See also: 150 Deep Dark Quotes About Life, Death, Pain & Love

Final Words

Life is a spectrum of emotions, both positive and negative. Joy and sorrow are the two sides of the same coin.

Remember that it is acceptable to not be okay on sometimes. And it’s okay to express it. Better times will come.

I hope you like my assortment of depressing Instagram captions.

Till next time!

Read next: Sad I Wanna Die Quotes To Comfort You Straight Away

220 Best Sad Instagram Captions To Get It Off Your Chest