Our little kids cry when scared of Santa. We cry from grief of losing a loved one, we cry when we feel the brunt of injustice, we may cry when stress of daily living becomes too much, and at times, we cry when we see or hear something that really strikes our funny bone and starts us laughing non-stop. Crying can be healthy and these tears are like a safety valve for our emotions, freeing us to go forward with our life. So if you need to, go ahead and cry and never feel ashamed! Just don’t let grieving take over your life…there’s still joy for you in this world.

Tears Help Us To Cope With Living

Crying is never a sign of weakness. The tears we shed helps us to cope with grief, hurt, anger, stress and sometimes, laughter. This “safety valve” keeps us healthy, and able to go on with our lives after events that shake our world. Crying is one of the things we can do that help us to survive the hard roads, of life. It is no coincidence that we have a longer life span than most other animals, since we are able to express and release our feelings with tears.

Is Crying A Form Of Manipulation?

Tears can be used as a form of manipulation. Ask any person who wanted to get their way as children, if they ever cried to get something he or she wanted, and if they’re honest, chances are the answer is yes. Because even as children we learn that whenever we express our pain, hurt feelings, sorrow, others want to help us overcome those feelings. Nobody likes to see a little kid cry, so we either talk them out of it, find a way to distract them or figure out what it is they want and give it to them. Too often, it’s the latter that we do and they learn that it works.

But Not All Tears Are Manipulation

So how can we determine what are genuine feelings and what are used for a purpose? It depends on how well we know the person first of all, and then on the situation. If there is something the person gains by expressing sorrow and tears, then it’s probably manipulation. But if it’s truly a case of just needing comfort, from grieving over a loved one’s death or the loss of a relationship that meant everything, you can pretty well figure it’s real. Crying from stress and tears of anger are usually more short lived than those from grief.

I Laughed Until I Cried

Probably the greatest feeling in the world is to laugh until you cry. Some comedians are very adept at causing this sort of laughter, and yet they, themselves, have an emotional, tearful side, that’s hidden very well, while causing others to laugh. A perfect example is the late Robin Williams, who could not stop being “on” for a small audience, for even a few moments. His aim in life seemed to be to get others to laugh, because while they were laughing he felt less pain inside.

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Johnny Cash sings Hurt – His final recording

 The tears of grief………..

The only person who is immune to grief, is someone who has not loved. If you’ve never truly loved a person or a pet, you can’t know grief. When we grieve over deceased loved ones and pets, we’re actually grieving our loss, because we don’t have them anymore. We grieve for those we don’t even know, ones lost in national tragedies such as the events of September 11, 2001, when the insanity of a few took the lives of so many. We can mourn without the appearance of tears, but the act of crying is a natural part of the process of grieving. The release of pent up emotion allows us to move forward with our lives.

Angel grieving over the loss of a loved one

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Hurt feelings make us cry……..

When our feelings are hurt by someone’s inconsiderate actions or words, tears are a natural outlet for that hurt. If we’re in love with someone and they decide they’re no longer in love with us, it can be devastating to our lives. Or if they’ve said unkind words to us in an argument it can cause tears to well up. Just how deeply we are hurt and how much we cry is in direct proportion to the depth of feeling for the person responsible for the hurt. If it’s a breakup of a relationship, or if there is no contrition or apology forthcoming, we may dwell on it for long periods of time and cry again and again. People have been known to sorrow over a divorce or breakup, or even just an argument, for years.

Anger May Make Us Cry……….

Sometimes when we get too angry to speak, the tears flow instead. Tears of this sort are usually short-lived, because as the anger subsides, so do the tears. This is more a biological effect than an actual cry, but it acts as a safety valve for our overpowering emotion. The heat of our anger eventually dries our tears, but for the moment the cry has helped our body to cope with the sudden emotion. Often, the anger is still there, but the tears stop.

 

 

Anger hurts and can make us cry.

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Too much stress in daily life can make you cry………..

When we are under a lot of stress, whether job, family or money related, we may be going along managing to cope, until suddenly one little thing, maybe not even related to what’s causing it, can cause us to burst into tears. This is known in common parlance as the “last straw,” or “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” The purpose of this is that it gives the individual relief from the build-up of stress pressure, acting as a “safety valve,” to release our anger, thereby preventing permanent damage to our system.

 

A good cry relieves stress

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Red Skelton knew…laughter is the best cry of all

If you have to have tears, this is the best way to cry of all….laugh until you cry! Funny movies, jokes, etc., can set off our “funny bone,” causing us to laugh until it’s difficult to draw a breath, and the tears are streaming down our face. This is a very welcome cry…which doesn’t last long, but sure is enjoyable while you experience it. Laughter has also been called “the best medicine,” because those who are suffering from chronic or acute conditions may feel better if they can have a good laugh once a day. Comedian Red Skelton always made me laugh even during the worst of times. Comedians or movies that can give you an honest, from-the-gut laugh are the tools to help you get through bad times, because laughter gives you relief from pain.

 

A hearty laugh might produce tears

 Photo Credit

• Wikipedia on “Crying”
  Wikipedia defines crying and why it’s the “human” thing to do.
• Wikipedia on “Grief”
  Wikipedia defines grief and its many facets found in human nature.
• Wikipedia: Tears
  Wikipedia defines the many reasons for tears, including anger and stress.
• The Top Five Healthy Reasons to Cry
  Healthy crying is a good thing, relieving us of grief, hurt, anger, stress, and yet sometimes laughter can make us cry.

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