Healthy Crying - Let Your Tears Flow

"Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again." ~ Alex Tan

We were each born with the ability to cry, and because the entire design of the universe is splendid and awe inspiring, we have to realize that healthy crying is part of the divine plan of beauty and perfection.

Tears are the symbol that emotions are flooding around inside our minds and those emotions can symbolize either happiness or sadness. I frequently wonder in amazement how actors and actresses can conjure forth tears upon command. My tears of emotion seem to be automatically triggered by some of my very deepest feelings in their effort to be free and move from my depths to outside of myself.

Joy-filled moments like a child's first steps or any of his subsequent accomplishments often trigger tears. If you have a child coming home after a long journey, tears fall. My assistant cries uncontrollably at weddings. Gratitude over a successful outcome often trips off tearing. We may cry over the death of the leader of a country who was beloved. And have you ever cried and thought you would never stop when you go through an ordeal in your life? All these tears of emotion offer us a physical release of the feelings that triggered them.

Letting your tears flow, just having a good cry, can sometimes make you feel better. If you are someone who doesn't like to express your emotions, you may have to go for a ride in the country to have your good cry so you can sit in the middle of a field or under a tree and be in private to allow your feelings out. It is not shameful to cry, since we were born with this ability as part of the design. Tears and healthy crying are natural. Sometimes our conditioning ("Big boys don't cry.") keeps us from this expression, but there is true beauty in vulnerability and great healing that comes from the honest sharing of deep emotions.

Some psychologists report that if you are supported through a good cry, you will experience improvements and won't if you don't have this support. If you lack insight into your emotional life, you may not experience a catharsis, so if you're one of these, perhaps delving into your emotional life is indicated.

One of the best benefits of crying is that it is free. You don't have to pay a professional to help you through some emotional trauma. You can do it yourself! And men, we realize you find it more challenging to cry than do women. It's a unique and surviving tool of evolution, so let your hair down and have a good cry. If it makes you more comfortable, do it in private, fellows. There are different chemicals that come out of you due to emotional crying vs. chopping onions, so "getting it out" may be much more than we've ever thought before.

There are a lot of sometimes funny words to describe crying: sobbing, blubbering, wailing, caterwauling, bawling, but whatever word you use, please DO cry. Tears of emotion are natural and a good cleansing release from healthy crying is great for you.

"I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry." ~ Cat Stevens

Take Action Now

1. I will let myself cry.
2. I will honor my body's desire to cry.
3. Crying is not a sign of weakness. I can cry.