Already on those times when I was a kid, I felt tears for absolutely in every kind of emotional situation - whether it was for out of anger, happiness or something cute. Honestly, that made me feel super weak and insecure about myself, because what the ... . And why me?
Years have gone by and aha, nothing has changed! I am still the same! I still cry when I am getting overload of positive or negative emotions. It is as it is. But what has changed?
My attitude.
The more older I have gotten, I also noticed one thing - I always felt mentally and emotionally better after crying! It made think about what is my body doing when I cry.
Reading this article Harvard Health blog (read on 01.01.2025), that is written by Leo Newhouse, states "Scientists divide the liquid product of crying into three distinct categories: reflex tears, continuous tears, and emotional tears. The first two categories perform the important function of removing debris such as smoke and dust from our eyes, and lubricating our eyes to help protect them from infection. Their content is 98% water.
It’s the third category, emotional tears (which flush stress hormones and other toxins out of our system), that potentially offers the most health benefits. Researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain. Popular culture, for its part, has always known the value of a good cry as a way to feel better — and maybe even to experience physical pleasure. "
As you can read this part, emotional tears = health benefits. That is why we feel lighter and better emotionally after crying. Crying is here for a reason. To flush out all all the emotional stress hormones. For both men and women.
Continuing "Crying is an important safety valve, largely because keeping difficult feelings inside — what psychologists call repressive coping — can be bad for our health. Studies have linked repressive coping with a less resilient immune system, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, as well as with mental health conditions, including stress, anxiety, and depression. Crying has also been shown to increase attachment behavior, encouraging closeness, empathy, and support from friends and family."
Most people do cry because of negative feelings inside of them (saddness, mental breakdown, grief etc.). The tough feelings are coming into surface and that is our body way to show that we need to face them instead of hiding them under the carpet and hoping they will go away on their own. But going away to where? They don't have a place to go! So they cannot go to anywhere! They will be still stuck and boil till one point its going to explode. We can't hold the emotions in, whether they are positive or negative. Express them, let them out. You can do that by yourself too, being alone.
I don't know if you have noticed that but when you have been working on something, and it doesn't come out, and you keep trying and redoing and still mistakes coming in and then one point you just stop being patient and BAM! you are exploding and starting to cry. What this means is that you are being stopped on what you are currently working on, and you are doing something wrong or it is not the right time to do it. This is forcing you to reflect everything about it and might be time to change the plans.
It is true, that people, especially women, who are highly sensitive, tend to cry quite often. Me included. It is our way to release the heavy energies. And that is fine. And I know also some people who have said that they can't cry, they would but can't. It is also fine not to cry much, if it is not in your nature. This usually means that you have other ways to release tension. Both are fine in my opinion. To each their own.
I am glad that people are becoming more acceptable about crying because we all cry.
When you do cry all the time for no reason, there might be underlying condition that needs to be medically checked.
So is it really weakness? I would say NO, but of course this doesn't mean we don't control ourselves when we are in public, and sometimes you can't help it and you might get a breakdown in a public. It happens. And it is okay. I must say it is mostly helpful to cry in somewhere you feel emotionally comfortable and safe, because you are emotionally in vulnerable state and it requires corresponding room, whether it is your home, being around with someone close or somebody who wants to listen to you. That is HEALING. Healing is hard. But it is necessary.
Take care,
Lisa-M
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