Researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain.
Those who “let it all out” often feel a lightness, a sense of peace, an ability to breathe deeper and even sleep better. Tears also show a vulnerability that allows others to provide much-needed comfort and encouragement.
Crying is an important part of the grieving process for many people, but it is possible to grieve fully without shedding tears. Although grief is a universal human experience, your response to grief might be highly individual.
Crying is the hallmark of mourning, practically shorthand for the experience. We grieve therefore we cry. Tears are the outward and spontaneous expression of a feeling too primal to fully express any other way.
Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.
Crying is first observed in the context of a simple response to pain or separation. However, during ontogeny, crying develops as a response to the distress of others in the form of sympathy [5–8].
It won't rid you of PTSD and your fears, but let your tears flow and you'll maybe feel a little better afterwards. 'Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain.
Empathy, compassion, physical pain, attachment pain, and moral and sentimental emotions can trigger these tears. They communicate your emotions to others. Emotional tears make you feel more vulnerable, which could improve your relationships.
Researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain.
You're Feeling Vulnerable
You might experience a happy cry because you're feeling vulnerable. When you're feeling strong emotions, it can be difficult to open up and express them. Crying is a way to release all of those feelings and let them out.
There is no timeline for how long grief lasts, or how you should feel after a particular time. After 12 months it may still feel as if everything happened yesterday, or it may feel like it all happened a lifetime ago. These are some of the feelings you might have when you are coping with grief longer-term.
Mourning was worn for six months after the death of a sibling. Parents would wear mourning for a child for "as long as they [felt] so disposed". A widow was supposed to wear mourning for two years, and was not supposed to "enter society" for 12 months.
Grief can be stored in various parts of the body, such as the heart, lungs, throat, and stomach. People may also experience physical sensations like heaviness in the chest or tightness in the throat when experiencing grief.
When a person cries, several muscles in their face tense up. They may also feel tension in their jaw, down their neck, and at the back of their head. If a person is crying over a prolonged period, the continuous contractions of these muscles may result in a tension headache.
Emotional empathy is when you can feel another person's emotions. If you're sitting close to a loved one and they start to cry, for example, you might begin to feel sad too. This is emotional empathy.
It gives vent to grief, guilt, anger, fear, and frustration, as well as joy and happiness. Our broken heart and contrite spirit cry. Our tender mercies cry. Sometimes when the Spirit touches on the crusty, hardened parts of our heart and we soften up – we cry as a result.
Practice the three C's
As you build a plan, consider the “three Cs”: choose, connect, communicate. Choose: Choose what's best for you. Even during dark bouts of grief, you still possess the dignity of choice. “Grief often brings the sense of loss of control,” said Julie.
What is the hardest stage of grief? Depression is usually the longest and most difficult stage of grief. Depression can be a long and difficult stage in the grieving process, but it's also when people feel their deepest sadness.
Why do we cry emotional tears? It's thought that emotional tears themselves have an evolutionary purpose: They're a way to get empathy. Research has found that people who get social support when they shed tears report that they feel better than those who hold back their waterworks, or who don't have any support.