The Strength in Tears
You know that feeling when you have tears on the brim of your eyes threatening to spill over and everything in you is fighting to keep them at bay. If you're like me, you hate this feeling. Tears can make you feel vulnerable, but good can come from them. Crying is a release. It might seem counterintuitive to lean into these hard feelings but repressing them can be even more detrimental. Shedding tears isn't synonymous with any sort of weakness. In fact, it is quite brave.
Crying can also be good for your body from a physiological standpoint. It can activate the parasympathetic nervous system which controls resting and digestion. This activation of rest can help you when emotions are high. According to The Neurobiology of Human Crying by Bylsma, Gračanin, and Vingerhoets, “The parasympathetic nervous system conserves energy and slows the heart rate and is important for processes related to rest, recovery, and relaxation” (2019). Slowing down your heart rate can be a great step towards feeling better and can speed up the process of recovery.
There is stigma around shedding tears, especially when it comes to men. Men are taught growing up that crying is weak and something to be looked down upon. This comes from a deeply ingrained pattern that's been instilled in men for generations. From a young age, men are told to steer clear of anything that might be viewed as “weak” or “not manly enough”. The message that men shouldn't cry or sit in their feelings is detrimental to mental health. These societal pressures perpetuate a cycle of suppression. Bottling up emotions and harboring them for long periods of time can inhibit the healing process. Tears are natural, for all people. Speaking on and bringing awareness to this topic can lessen the shame associated with vulnerability. Authenticity is vital for emotional well-being.
It is important to take into account that while there are benefits to crying, acknowledging that crying can come from a place of deep pain is crucial. Sometimes the underlying cause needs to be addressed, so yes crying can be a good thing, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t take the root of the tears seriously. We also don't have to be held back by the conformist ideals of society's standards of what strength looks like. Embracing the tears instead of forcing them back is strength, and I want to send encouragement to everyone that crying doesn't make you any less of a person. While they can be uncomfortable, tears push you towards the path of healing and are a natural response to a multitude of scenarios and stimuli. The next time you feel on the verge of tears, I hope you remember that it is courageous to let them out, and the hard feelings won’t last forever. You are so strong!
Strike Out,
Writer: Aubrey-Anne Ross
Editor: Jane Dodge
Graphic Designer: Brennen Purcell
Chattanooga