Why is it that expressing your deepest emotions is considered a weakness, but bottling up your feelings by sucking it up is an admirable trait?
Why do we admire people who put their emotions aside, but alienate the ones who choose to express them freely?
We live in a society that teaches us that life is better when you turn off your emotions and turn on the logic. That manifesting sadness is equal to exposing your weakness. What’s worse, sadness is often picked on and persecuted when expressed publicly. No one wants to be seen in their most vulnerable state.
So, we hide. We secretly wipe our tears, swallow our pain and pretend that we are fine. We tell the world that we are blessed and truly happy with our lives, but deep down, it hurts like hell. The more we neglect our emotions, the bigger the pain grows. The more we avoid facing our emotions, the harder it is to get rid of that lump in our throat.
What the hell is wrong with us?
Let’s find a way to understand that… Crying is not a sign of weakness. If anything, it shows how mentally tough one person is.
1. First things first, crying means that you are not afraid of your emotions. It means that you don’t care what would others think of you when they see you with tears in your eyes. It is a sign that you are brave enough to dive deep inside yourself, face every part of your soul, including your darkest depths. It is a sign that you are not afraid to express yourself freely.
2. Crying helps you let go of negative emotions. Bottled up feelings lead to anger, frustration, and incapability to regulate your own emotional expression. Still, many people choose to repress their emotions and suck it all in until at some point they burst out and let it all out in the nastiest way possible. This is the reason why crying is the best mental cleanse that you can do for yourself.
3. Crying improves your overall wellbeing. Many types of research and studies have shown that crying not only helps you unwind and get rid of the negativity, but it also offers many more emotional benefits. It reduces the risk of certain illnesses, aids sleep, releases toxins and relieves stress, stimulates the release of the “feel good” chemicals, fights bacteria(tears contain a fluid called lysozyme) and improves vision. Pretty interesting, huh?
4. It encourages others to express their feelings without feeling ashamed or afraid of society’s judgment. When you feel comfortable crying, you let others know that you are not intimidated to show your vulnerability to the world. This encourages people to embrace their true nature and learn from your example. You probably haven’t noticed this, but your personality has a big influence on those around you. A healthy type of emotional expression such as this one will most likely spread to your friends and their friends. So, be brave. Be open. Let those emotions flow through you. Let yourself feel.
