Some of the smallest things will bring me to tears. My children will make fun of me. We'll be sitting watching a movie together and someone will start talking about love, pain, children, family, missing someone, death, disappointment etc... and the kids will look over at me, ready to see the emotion in my face, the tears on my face. Of course this will make me smile at them. Never mind a serious movie, I get emotional watching Glee.... yes, I'm just that sensitive on the inside, right? :) (I actually have the desire to say RIGHT? after every line lately since I've been spending so much time with a friend who uses this expression - I'm becoming immersed in that style, right? :))
On a more serious note, I got a call tonight, and she was crying. She was upset about her day as it wasn't going the way she wanted. I immediately went into strategy, coach mode... as I always do. I told her she had to get up, go for a walk, clear her mind, focus on the goals of tomorrow, get a book, get on the internet and read about fun things... anything but staying there, in that knot, feeling like the world is against you. I felt that was good advice at the time. She said okay, unconvinced, but sounded better and let me go...
No more than an hour later, I was at home, feeling a bit lost, feeling sad myself (could it be the rain?). I was supposed to do a run tonight, and I REALLY didn't feel like doing it. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I reached out to a friend who I hoped would respond and it was the right thing to do. Not a half hour later, after talking about the upcoming race, and all the things I've wanted to accomplish, I was ready for that run. I got on the treadmill and 30 minutes later, sweat pouring down, I was back
BUT - I started to doubt whether I'd given her the right advice.
As I showered and got ready to write this blog, all I could think about was how much sometimes a good cry can get it all out of your system. If we allow ourselves to release all that bent up energy, and frustration, and pain, don't we feel better ?
So then I reached out to sources on the internet and found the following really good reasons why it's okay to cry - men - it's okay for you too...
Crying lowers manganese levels known to cause anxiety...
One source stated that if your manganese level is high it can cause anxiety, nervousness, irritability, fatigue, aggression, emotional disturbance. Crying is stated to lower a person’s manganese level. Apparently emotional tears contain 24 percent higher albumin protein concentration–responsible for transporting small (toxic) molecules–than irritation tears, removing toxins from your system.
Crying is known to reduce chemical stress in our bodies...
Crying is stated by one source to help reduce stress, which has a damaging effect on our health and has been linked to a number of health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and obesity. Crying can help to wash chemicals linked to stress out of our body - which would be one of the reasons we feel much better after a good cry. The source stated that higher levels of adrenocorticotrophic (ACTH) have been found in emotional tears (compared to reflex tears). This chemical triggers cortisol in our bodies (the stress hormone) so we do want to get rid of high levels.
'Crying can help release tension and stress, as well as expressing emotions,' says Dr Abigael San, chartered clinical psychologist.
'When you're upset and stressed, you have an imbalance and build up of chemicals in the body and crying helps to reduce that.'
“But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.” – Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid
“To weep is to make less the depth of grief.” – William Shakespeare
Take the time to listen to this KD Lang rendition of Crying by Roy Orbison. Really beautiful - may even bring you to tears ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNbnFVBVnz0
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