I am a crier. I cry easily. I find it very difficult to hold the tears back. I always have. It has resulted in several awkward moments. Especially the ones where I find myself crying on behalf of a complete stranger or bursting into tears on a complete stranger.
For many years, like a lot of people, I thought this was a sign of weakness. I now know it is not. It is one of the most important tools in My Wellness Toolbox to help me Release and Let Go. I only fully appreciated this at the start of 2020.
In January I met a wonderful lady called Jackie Breen on Solihull Radio The Wellness Wednesday Show, she was a guest and it was the first time we had met. Jackie is a fellow Reiki Therapist and a wonderful human being, we immediately connected. The show was brilliant as we chatted about the amazing tool that is Reiki. Yet as we chatted once the microphones were switched off, I found myself opening up to her about how I had truly been feeling in the previous months, before I knew it I had burst into tears. I was so embarrassed and tried to control myself. Jackie encouraged me not to stop.
I will never forget the words she said; “Today is a healing day, on the days you cry you may not feel that good but it is a good day, you are letting whatever needs to come out, out!”
When you see someone cry how often is your reaction:
“Oh, don’t cry it’s going to be ok”
“What are you crying for?”
“Please stop crying you’ll upset me”?
When we stop ourselves from crying, we are stopping ourselves from releasing the things that do not make us feel good. If we do not release them, they start to stack up. For me that stack manifests into anxiety and worry.
Crying can make us feel better.
Crying does make us feel better.
Crying can prevent other emotions we do not like to experience, such as anxiety.
Even the scientists say so!!
I discovered these crying facts via the power of a internet research;
- Crying can be uplifting – as we sob our breathing changes and cools down which can actually help soothe our mind
- Crying is Self-Soothing – crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system enabling your body to rest. It is not an immediate response but within minutes of crying the PNS will activate.
- Tears detox the body – research suggests that emotional tears contain stress hormones and when we cry we are flushing them away
- Crying releases endorphins including oxytocin – these are feel good chemicals that can help relieve both emotional and physical pain. This happens when you have a good cry for a longer period of time.
- Crying rebalances you – when you experience a strong emotion crying helps rebalance your mind, this explains why I cry after the fits of giggles!!!
- Crying is important when grieving – releasing tears following the loss of a loved one is really important to help your mind process and accept what has happened
I think it is quite clear, crying can be a very powerful tool to help you Let Go & Release. It has certainly helped me release the COVID19 anxieties and confusion during Lockdown. There have been several moments in the shower, watching movies and chatting to friends online that I have had a good cry. It has made me feel better every time.
Want a good cry but struggle to release? Watch Beaches. Gets me every time!!
Seriously, please don’t hold back those tears, release them as this is normal and healthy!
If you can see someone is holding back the tears, give them a big hug and let them know it is good to cry!
If you are crying excessively, you are worrying about how much you are crying and/or it is starting to interfere with your everyday then I would suggest you have a chat with your GP to see if there are any underlying reasons that could be addressed.
I hope you all have a great day... but don’t forget to cry if you need to!
Ali x