Tears can be very healing for women
Yesterday I had a good cry. Now for me this may mean something different than for others in that I tend to be very sentimental a little mushy. Reels featuring rescued puppies, happy love stories, seniors being cared for yep the tears start flowing. My son used to watch me when we watched TV together and if it was a sentimental story he would look at me and say-Really?! you are going to cry again aren’t you?! When he was young I even cried while watching cartoons. UP is one of my favorites and I cried every time while watching it (if you haven’t seen it go back and find it, such a sweet animated film). Pooh Bear (yes, Pooh) sang a song to Christopher Robbins and I was balling.
But back to yesterday, I was reviewing a friends YouTube podcast and after reviewing it on the right side of my screen was “videos suggested for you”. After 20 minutes down a rabbit hole of feel good videos I found myself with tears streaming down my face over returning veteran videos, puppy rescue videos and wedding speeches. I had to walk away. But honestly it felt so good to cry. They weren’t sad tears they were tears of joy. I. know- I am a total dork and I own it but perhaps we all need a good cry once in a while…it really does feel good!
There is research on the reasons a good cry can make us feel good:
Emotional Release: Crying is a natural way for the body to release pent-up emotions, whether they are sadness, frustration, anger, or even joy.
Stress Reduction: Crying has been shown to reduce stress by releasing stress hormones and toxins from the body.
Mood Enhancement: Crying triggers the release of endorphins, often referred to as “feel-good” hormones.
Aid in Healing: Emotional tears contain higher levels of stress hormones, so crying may physically help in the healing process by eliminating these substances from the body.
Acknowledgment and Validation of Emotions: Allowing oneself to cry acknowledges and validates one’s emotions. It’s an acceptance of one’s human experience and an acknowledgment that it’s okay to feel and express emotions openly.
Crying is a natural and important emotional release mechanism that can have a positive impact on a woman’s mental and emotional well-being. Perhaps we should do a little more of it and worry less about what others think.