Tears represent so many different things to us throughout our lives. From the time we are infants through old age, weeping, sobbing, wailing, or any other variation of emotional expression serves so many different purposes.
As I grew up and entered my twenties and beyond, I consciously and unconsciously developed the tendency to not to cry in public, as far as possible, which eventually influenced how I tended to my emotions privately as well. I’m not entirely sure what the reasons behind this behavior were – perhaps embarrassment of displaying the seeming lack of emotional control? – but I know that it left me feeling a bit unenergetic and uncharacteristically stoic over the long term.
Only in the last few years have I truly allowed myself the release and consequential benefits that come with allowing myself a good cry.
What follows are some of these upsides that I’ve experienced, and I would be delighted if they encouraged you to do the same.
WHY CRYING IS GOOD FOR YOU
Emotional unblocking and release.
This first point is the most obvious one. The cathartic feeling of crying about anything—happy or sad—clears out emotional blockages and relieves stress and anxiety almost instantaneously. Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins, which contribute to restoring emotional balance.
Physical detox.
From a purely biological standpoint, the physical act of crying has a few benefits. The first is detox: Our bodies produce three kinds of tears—reflex, continuous, and emotional. Each of these helps to detox and cleanse your body. Reflex tears clean out debris from your eyes, helping protect them. Continuous tears protect your eyes from infection by keeping them moist. As mentioned in the first point above, emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins that they flush from your body.
“Repressive coping”, a medical term for stuffing our negative feelings deep inside, as what may seem like the most effective thing to do, can do severe damage to our emotional ecosystem over the long term. Repressive coping is linked with a less resilient immune system, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.
Dulls pain.
Crying for long periods releases trusted oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain, which is why you may notice the feeling of temporary physical numbness after a good sob sesh.
Communicates true feelings and deepens relationships.
The relational benefits of crying are often undermined. I can’t speak for everyone, but sometimes I’ve fallen under the assumption that in an argument or in a situation that requires me to convey how I feel, crying may seem childish, over-reactive, or emotionally manipulative in some way.
However, with age and maturity, I’ve realized that with the right people, displaying genuine emotion can work wonders for communication and strengthening the relationship.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope what you have read has somehow educated, informed, or inspired you.
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