When was the last time you cried?
And why you should do it more often.
The last time I cried was this morning, and I’m here to tell you why I’ve never felt so good.
While drinking my morning coffee and reading Ram Dass’ view of the importance of relationships and friendships, I remembered how much I’ve changed, how many people I have lost, and how many I’ve gained in this path of self-discovery that life is. I thought about the fantastic and unforgettable experiences I have lived these last few years, and before I knew it, I was crying. I didn’t ask for it; I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t happy either, I was just emotional, I was just feeling. And these feelings came out as uncontrollable tears. As soon as I started I couldn’t stop, I was weeping. I couldn’t remember the last time I cried that way.
Two minutes went by, and I couldn’t remember why I even started crying, I just knew that it felt amazing. I felt relieved as if my body was detoxifying; I was letting go, I just didn’t know what. When I realized this, I allowed myself to cry for all those times I held back tears.
After 10 minutes, I stopped crying, and I felt amazing. I stopped to analyze what had just happened, and I just knew that I had to write about this, about the importance of crying and letting go.
Before giving a lecture about how essential crying is, I should mention that two years ago I only cried once a year, I never let anyone in, I didn’t let people know how I felt. I was always pretending to be happy, I was “okay” with everything, and I smiled all the time, at everything, even if I was deeply hurt. This is why when I cried that one time every year, it would be non-stop for one hour, and I wouldn’t let anyone see me. I would hide because I was ashamed of showing feelings. Now I cry whenever tears call me, and it is a delicious feeling. I can cry with a song, with a book, with a letter, with a person, and I’ve never been so emotionally stable and happy.
Crying is a basic human need, not only psychological but also physical; your tears need to come out. A lot of people refuse to cry because they think that it shows others that they are vulnerable, but vulnerability is the bridge to build connections. Emotional tears are different from other tears; they come with a story behind, which is why it’s essential to let them go, to show them, and to recognize the feelings behind them. Crying goes beyond a symptom of sadness; it can be due to happiness, nostalgia, frustration, fear, energy, pain, and many more feelings. Imagine keeping all of these emotions bottled up, and not being able to let them out.
Usually, when someone weeps, it is because they have reached their limit with words, and the only thing left to do is cry. But why should it? Why can’t we cry a little bit every day, or whenever we feel like it, whenever someone hurts us or makes us feel happy or grateful? Why can’t we cry when we are in love, or when we miss someone, why can’t we cry when we miss our person or watching a fantastic movie? Most importantly, why can’t we cry in front of people? Why can’t we show through our tears that we are feeling?
Today more than ever, it is crucial to show how we feel, to stop holding back and stop crying on the inside, stop feeling in silence, and start asking for help. We have to start showing up for others and reassuring them that it’s okay and give them a shoulder to cry on. Crying is a big part of human social connection, crying shows others that we temporarily need help to cope with a problem, and to handle the situation, that we need a friend. As much as you need to smile more, you also need to cry more. It is challenging to get on with society if you can’t cry because it is difficult to show emotion, whatever your reason is for not crying rethink about it. If you want to seem keen, then think about how much stronger you look by being emotionally healthy, by crying, by bonding and being connected with others through emotions.
My invitation to cry does not mean you have to cry all day (unless you want to). I’m just here to tell you that it is okay to cry, no one is going to judge you, it’s not going to make you weak or unstable. It makes you better, it helps you let go, it detoxifies your body, it soothes the pain, it improves your mood and your emotional balance. Crying is good, so, when was the last time you cried?
