Learning To Cry Again

I both love and hate crying.

Actually, love is too strong a word (hate is not). I do not love the headache I get, or the snotty nose. I do not love the rest cheeks or the puffy eyes. I don’t even like these things. What I do like it the release of tension, the relief and the need to cry is satisfied. I like the way the endorphins kick in making me feel better. Not great, not necessarily even good – just better. It’s usually just enough to get over something, get over the worst of something. Just enough to take the edge of so I can do something about the problem.

Unless the need to cry or release some emotions is the programme.

It took me a long time to learn to cry and appreciate it.

When I was a kid I cried a lot, at a lot, at a lot of stuff. I have a pretty low pain threshold and always have, and I’ve always been pretty clumsy. I’ve not always had the right reaction when crying from the people around me – ignored, or told it can’t be that bad, I started to hide it a lot more, and started to really hate crying in front of people, any people. Plus as the depression kicked in and more bad things started to happen in my life and to me I started to get used to it all, managed without crying.

When I started taking medication for the anxiety and depression I stopped crying altogether.

I didn’t start cutting right away as a substitute, that was a year or so later I think I started cutting instead of crying or instead of dealing with my anger in any healthy way. By the time I went to therapy I think eight years had gone by and I’d hardly shed a tear. My dog died, my uncle died, and those things made me cry. I left my ex and my house and didn’t even cry then (though mostly I was frightened).

I sort of had to learn to cry again and to learn it was okay to cry. Though it was hard because I had group therapy and that meant crying in front of other people.

I cry much more easily now and at all sorts of stupid things. Horrible things like people dying and silly things like the song at Spirited Away. It’s much better this way, to cry, to get it out, instead of hiding it, internalising it, cutting it.

I still don’t like crying in front of people though,(unless that person is my wife). I can’t imagine there are many people who do though.

Check out my first published post on The Mighty for more mental health thoughts.

Show 8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Mrs C

    I think, like you said, learning that it’s ok to cry is key. We all deal with emotions differently, but there’s a reason we were wired in a way that our eyes leak! Thanks for sharing. Mrs C. #KCACOLS

  2. mummyhereandthere

    Very brace of you too right and can understand. As a past self harmer I can understand it is a distraction away from feelings. Feelings are hard, crying is hard and dealing with them face on is a big challenge. I know what you mean about the feeling after crying with a sense of calm and equilibrium. #justanotherlinky

  3. Allyson Greene

    As a former cutter I understand completely. So brave of you to post this. Crying is terrible, but we feel so much better when we let it out. Good luck! #kcacols

  4. Linda

    Crying is definitely okay here. I am so glad that I stopped by via the A to Z Challenge; it was your blog title that drew me here. Thank you for sharing this incredibly brave and strong post. You are wonderfully weird and important 🙂

    Linda K
    @_theheadcabbage from
    Tales from the Cabbage Patch

  5. I’m glad to hear that you are learning to cry again as it is very important to let our emotions out instead of keeping them inside. I also don’t like to cry in public. I find it really difficult to show it that easily but when I’m at home on my own and feel sad I prefer to cry. Immediately after, I feel better and with hope. I can cry in front of my husband but it is not something that I do very often at all. I think as long as we do cry and release that pain that is bothering us is very important. This is what will make you feel better after. Thanks so much for sharing this at #KCACOLS. I’m so grateful for all the comments that you have done this week. I really appreciate it!! I would love to see you again on Sunday! 🙂

  6. I don’t like crying in public either (I’m not one for showing my feelings), but sometimes it just can’t be helped. A couple of years ago, I was on a train with my partner when I discovered that one of my best friends growing up had died. I’m pretty sure the entire train her the cry that came from deep within me as I threw down my mobile phone on the table. I couldn’t get the words out to tell my partner than had happened. I spent the rest of the day bursting into tears at any given moment, trying (unsuccessfully) to hide it.

  7. mymeenalife

    I agree. When I don’t cry, and I need to, things can get worse because it’s all bottled up inside. Crying can be a good stress reliever in some situations.

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