I’m a pretty happy girl. I would say I have at least one good belly laugh everyday, and that’s at the very least. What can I say? My friends are hilarious. That said, oh man, I enjoy a good cry. It feels great! Okay, that sounds a little…something. I’m not a weirdo, I swear.
But I have always wondered why indulging in a little sob-fest seems to make everyone feel better. Well, I did a little homework. Turns out, there are psychological and physiological rationales aplenty as to why it’s healthy to shed a few tears every now and then. Grab a box of Kleenex and read on:
It means you’re still feeling things
I have this theory about emotions and extremes: if you’re one of those people who is constantly trying to shield yourself from feeling very bad things, it might work, however, you might be stifling your ability to feel good emotions as well.
Think of emotions like a straight line, with “awesome” and “freakin’ terrible” at either end, with “neutral” in the middle. And you can only span out equally in both directions. If you keep yourself close to the emotional middle, you might not feel as much pain, but you also won’t feel as much happiness, excitement, love and all those other nice, fuzzy feelings.
So when I cry, even if it’s like total breakdown sobbing, the silver lining is always the same: if I’m feeling this crappy right now, it means I still have the potential to feel moody extremes. And the next extreme I feel might be at the good end. So cry on, you big, bad feeler.
Tension and release
Bills due, dog barking, gross weather, lovely girlfriend turned out to be cheating slut…annnd that’s all before your first cup of coffee some days. Now more than ever, we live in a culture that expects us to take on everything at once (family, career, love life, hobbies, do-good-ing, etc.) and that gives us access to tons of information all at once (I can’t possible be expected to not get an ulcer when I wake up and read about the war, the failing economy and my ex’s new girlfriend on Facebook in the first 20 minutes of consciousness).
All in all, tension is part of the game these days. The worst thing we can do? Keep it all in. You’ve probably heard that before but it’s true and should be taken to heart. Literally.
Scientific evidence shows that tears shed from emotional stimuli (stress, sadness, all that) actually contain a lot more than salt and water. Namely, stress hormones, which are released when you cry. Stressing without crying is like freaking with no finale; a tearful climax to intense feelings is like a heart-gasm. Also like orgasms, crying releases endorphins, which, as we all know, make you happy.
Keeps you real about how you feel
Is it just me or does everyone seem in a big damn hurry to hide how they feel about everything these days? We have to pretend to not hate our boss (I love you, boss folks! No, seriously!), tell our boyfriends that they're holding onto tons of memorabilia from their last relationship doesn’t bother us…just to name a few.
It can get to the point where we think more about acting in such a way as to make people think we’re feeling one way, instead of focusing on making our true emotions and opinions known. I guess a little of this here and there is necessary to the harmonious existence of everyone involved, but if you find yourself fighting back tears and putting on a happy face, you should definitely take a step back and figure out why you’re putting on an emotional front. Is it for yourself, as in, you aren’t wanting to deal with what’s going on in your brain and heart? Or is it for someone else’s benefit?
Here’s a new deal to make with yourself: if you feel like crying, do it. Maybe not in the middle of a work meeting (that’s what bathrooms are for, right?) but in other circumstances, yes, go for it. Especially if it’s in the presence of someone who is directly contributing to your negative feelings, like, say, a significant other. Even if you haven’t been sharing your thoughts as the tension has built, allowing them to be present for the release is a great way to open up the channels of communication.
By Jessi_bee