Crying is Good For You and Expressing Your Emotions
Like the phoenix’s tears in myth, human tears in real life have healing powers. Cry a few tears over an open physical wound and it probably isn’t going to heal. Open up a spiritual, emotional, or mental wound and let some tears fall- healing is almost guaranteed. Crying is a peculiar system humans have. Biologically crying is the release of water through tear ducts in the eyes.
We cry in response to pain of any kind, physical, emotional, and spiritual. We also cry in response to happiness. We cry in fear, we cry in joy, we cry in sadness, we cry in pride. Crying is an outlet of emotion.
Many people are afraid to cry. As children we hear unfortunate threats about being given something to cry about if we really want to cry. Crying can become associated with fear and being “bad”. When we are taught it isn’t okay to cry, we are taught that it isn’t okay to feel; more so, we are taught that it isn’t okay to feel and express our emotions.
Consequently, we learn to keep everything bottled up. Crying might make us weak, vulnerable, less than, and put us in the way of danger.
Crying is the opposite of that. To cry and release emotion is to engage in a spectacular internal healing process. “Shedding emotional tears has been found to boost people’s moods and relieve stress– some studies suggest that crying even prompts endorphin production,” reports Refinery29.
The article explains that “letting yourself cry and express your feelings when you feel them is immensely helpful in resolving any pent-up stress, anger, or sadness.”
Have you cried about it yet? It’s a question that gets asked in recovery when we get stuck on something. We can’t process something and release it, often, until we have a good cry about it. As an emotional release, crying provides instant gratification. Sometimes, we just need a good, hard sob, to let everything out.
Need To Cry But Can’t? This Always Works
- Watch videos of soldiers coming home to surprise wives, children, and pets
- Watch proposal and wedding videos
- Read a story about personal accomplishment, struggle, and strength
- Listen to a really bad (but so good) break up song
- Think about one of your favorite fictional characters leaving a storyline
- Reflect on how far you’ve come in recovery and that not too long ago, you were high and drunk
- Imagine what life is going to be like the longer you stay sober
- Go to a pet store and play with puppies
Emotional healing is part of the recovery process and one of the guarantees against relapse. Healing in a beautiful and safe environment helps the process. Call Lakehouse Recovery Center to schedule a tour of our lakefront home and get more information on our residential treatment programs. 877.762.3707.