Tears are good or when emotions have to come out

I'm going to borrow for a moment the lyrics of a famous song by singer Anna K.: "Sometimes I think tears are good."

Often tears are taken as a weakness and a "negative emotion" among people. It probably stems from childhood, when children were usually divided into good and bad, and as soon as a child started crying, parents tried to comfort him.

To distract him, to scold him, in short, to make him stop crying. Now, approaches are emerging that show us quite a different view of the child and his emotions.

They tell us that it is okay for a child to express his feelings and not repress them. The main thing is to "be with him", not to let him "swim" alone. If we let him express himself while accompanying him as a silent companion, he knows he can lean on us and have confidence in us. He can open up and not be afraid to express even the "negative".

Then, as an adult, he can learn to be more sensitive to other people's feelings. Just because he doesn't repress his emotions doesn't mean he can be easy on others. He will learn to perceive boundaries in the same way, he can just get along with himself, perhaps in a healthier way.

Different types of tears are known:

1. basal tears (they hydrate our eyes and help our vision, they are present all the time to protect the cornea)

2. reflex tears (they appear as a reaction, e.g. when an onion is cut, when dirt enters the eye, but also when yawning or laughing boisterously, they have an antibacterial composition)

3. emotional tears (during sadness and joyful emotions, they wash away hormones).

In this article, I deal with the last type - emotional tears.

When crying, endorphins are released, part of which is the hormone oxytocin - known as the "love hormone", which causes, among other things, a feeling of belonging to others. Thus, crying also brings us closer to others, whether they are tears of happiness or sadness.

Crying and sadness are not a sign of weakness, and it usually doesn't help to be told, "Don't cry, it will be okay." What often helps you when you are sad?

Some people are helped by music, company, or an activity, some prefer to be alone when they are sad, and others need people close to them.

For me personally, definitely being able to be in a safe space where I can express my emotions. Then I find it very helpful to be hugged, to feel that I am not alone, to let off steam, for example by playing a sport, for me mostly running, to be able to "speak out".

However, it is worth thinking about whether it is better to stay in the sadness for a while, and not to try to dispel the cloud right away. To stay in it for a while, to observe it and let it slowly drift away. Then we can take something from it, because "every cloud has a silver lining".

Nowadays, people are still often ashamed of their emotional expressions. I understand that there are situations where this is understandable and places that don't allow us to express ourselves fully (e.g. work environments). Still, it's important to be able to let those tears out.

Because, after all, "It always comes to light somehow..."

Sources: https://www.idnes.cz/onadnes/zdravi/plac-slzy-zdravi-smutek.A191006_152739_zdravi_drdv https://coopervision.cz/blog/je-pro-nas-plac-dobry

And how do you feel about tears? Are you ashamed of them or are they a natural part of your emotions?