Lately I’ve been more weepy than usual, and I don’t consider it a bad thing. Earlier this year I had a hard time crying and it really didn’t feel good; I felt numbed out.  This can happen after long periods of dealing with stress, illness or grief when, physiologically, our pain receptors get maxed out and our endorphins get so low. At that point we may turn to food, alcohol or sugar to raise the feel-good chemicals in our body. I say, give me a box of tissues and a heart-wrenching movie. That’s when it’s time to cry!

Grief, hurt and pain are not meant to be stored in the body, and when they are where they can develop into health complaints. Obviously not all health complaints are emotionally based, but if you’ve “been strong for too long” and are experiencing symptoms, you may need to soften, feel, cry. Culturally we have a bias against crying, ie, “Strong people don’t cry,” or “crying is for babies.” Let’s turn this on its head. It takes a strong person to cry, to admit their vulnerability. And babies have great emotional health because they can let it out one minute, and be as happy as clams the next. In fact, babies and children are some of the most emotionally expressive -and- emotionally resilient people I know.

So the next time you feel you’re on the verge of tears, don’t fight it. Let those big crocodile tears roll. Do so and you’re in the flow of Nature, and of Life. The Creator gave us tear ducts for a reason: to release emotional tension, and to heal.