I wish I could cry!!

@georgette12- I so agree with you. Letting out painful feelings is threatening and scary. In order for anyone to face their past we have to relive it too. Why would any of us want to do that? But think that it's the only way to heal. I healed because I started a blog and now I'm a Connect mentor and able to identify and write here. It's so very very hard. The degree of depression and how we react I think, at least for me, is the measure of the amount of harm I endured.

I well remember it; in our society crying is shameful ! I have prevented myself from crying for years; I was depressed and didn’t know that and felt the desire to cry again and again. But I force myself NOT to cry because, as I thought during those days, it as a weakness sign and shameful, especially for a male individual

Hello @aliali

I am sorry to hear that you have been raised to think that tears and crying are shameful. Actually, tears can be quite beneficial. Here is a link to an article from Psychology Today about the healthy benefits of tears. Just click on the link you can read the entire article, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-freedom/201007/the-health-benefits-tears

I will copy one paragraph from the article that you (and others) might find helpful,

"Emotional tears have special health benefits. Biochemist and “tear expert” Dr. William Frey at the Ramsey Medical Center in Minneapolis discovered that reflex tears are 98% water, whereas emotional tears also contain stress hormones which get excreted from the body through crying. After studying the composition of tears, Dr. Frey found that emotional tears shed these hormones and other toxins which accumulate during stress. Additional studies also suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, our body’s natural pain killer and “feel-good” hormones.” Interestingly, humans are the only creatures known to shed emotional tears, though it’s possible that that elephants and gorillas do too. Other mammals and also salt-water crocodiles produce reflex tears which are protective and lubricating.

Crying makes us feel better, even when a problem persists. In addition to physical detoxification, emotional tears heal the heart. You don’t want to hold tears back. Patients sometimes say, 'Please excuse me for crying. I was trying hard not to. It makes me feel weak'."

I would encourage you, @aliali, to read the entire article. It might help you to feel free to cry when you need to.

Maybe you could think of tears as good medicine?

Thank you for information on crying and the benefits. I am finding that if I let myself cry, it helps. I'm finding it hard to live with the memories of my son in regard to his suicide. I just posted that I looked at his pictures this weekend and am having flashbacks .

My heart is with you.

Why do so many public speakers when they tear up, say "I'm sorry." ?? I don't get that.

Hello, @aliali @georgette12 @merpreb @healthytoday @skelly20 @lioness @rascal1 and @lisalucier and all others who join this discussion.

Another volunteer mentor, @johnbishop, recently shared this website on the resilient option. In one of the videos Dr. Amit Sood about how tears are healing to our body and our spirits. Just scroll down to the video titled, "Can Crying Be a Good Thing?" https://www.resilientoption.com/

Will you share how this made you feel about your tears or about the tears of others?

Those are good thoughts in the video on crying, releasing toxins and inflammation.

@hopeful33250 Great article and agree how it will release toxins But the teats just won't come ,dies sweating replace it lol I do this alot

Thank you Teresa!