Did you dislike being called a crybaby when you were young? I know I did. And mean onlookers taunted and teased us with a rhyme which made things worse.
Crybaby, cry, wipe the tears from your eyes…
I’ve forgotten the rest of the non-sympathetic, I-wish-you-would-shut-up song. And sometimes our parents told us that big girls or boys don’t cry.
No one wants to be a big baby, especially a big crying baby.
But let’s be real, everyone: man, woman, boy, or girl cries at one time or another. Some people can cry at the drop of a hat. People cry alone, and they cry together. You’re never too young or old to cry. And as humans, there’s always something to cry about.
Whether it’s a pity party or some other discomfort or hurt, we can cry if we want to.
It’s okay to cry.
God knew what He was doing when He gave us tear glands and ducts for a healthy mental and physical release.
The health benefits of releasing those tears far exceed any superficial concerns like being called a big crybaby, wimp, or even looking awful while doing so.
Accept it. We don’t look good when we cry. Babies, kids, nor adults are picture perfect when they cry.
When there’s crying on the world set, No cameras, please!
Our faces become twisted; some appear piggish with snouts, nostrils inflate, eyes redden, mouths become ports of call, and foreheads expand.
Maybe you won’t stress about how you look or what people call you when you learn the positives of shedding those necessary and valuable tears.
There are several kinds of tears, and they help to detoxify our bodies.
REFLEX TEARS
The reflex tears start flowing when dust or something gets into your eyes. Reflex tears also clear other debris like smoke, gnats, and other foreign things that get into the eyes.
CONTINUOUS TEARS
Our eyes also shed continuous tears, which are 98 percent water. Continuous tears keep the eyes lubricated and protect them against infections.
EMOTIONAL TEARS
Tears shed when we’re happy, sad, grieved, or angry are emotional tears. Some researchers believe that emotional tears include stress hormones and other body toxins. Emotional tears help flush toxins out of our system.
Sorry, crocodile tears didn’t make the scientific list. But even though they are insincere, I guess they spun from our emotions.
We’ve heard the age-old saying that real men don’t cry. The cat has been out of the bag a long time; macho men do cry. Yes, real men should cry and reap the benefits of connecting to their emotions, detoxifying their system, and other benefits listed below.
Crying is Soothing.
Crying turns on the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). I’ve never heard of the parasympathetic nervous system, but I know that crying is soothing. Like you, I’ve also cried myself to sleep.
Crying Dulls Pain
Among the many other benefits of shedding tears, did you know tears can dull the pain?
Crying for long periods releases endorphins. According to Merriam Webster, endorphins are “any of a group of endogenous peptides found especially in the brain that bind chiefly to opiate receptors and produce some pharmacological effects (such as pain relief) like those of opiates.”
In other words, crying can have an analgesic or pain-relieving effect.
Many of us feel better after crying, but I’ve never thought of crying as a built-in pain reliever.
Now that we know some of the health benefits of crying, how much do we cry?
No, an individual cannot cry a river, but studies reveal we can cry from 15 to 30-gallons of the precious liquid a year.
Here’s to having healthy releases.
May all your emotional tears be happy ones. But don’t hesitate to cry when you hurt.
Be safe.