by
Sajehar » Sat Mar 15, 2014 9:50 am
Corinne
((((((((((((())))))))))))
You have so much to cope with, it would be a miracle if you weren’t depressed.
I have no practical help to offer other than this: Do not fear your tears.
Did you know that there are two main types of tears we produce? I can’t remember the fancy scientific name for them.
There are those produced by irritants, such as strong wind and onion vapour. These tears contain water, salt, lubricant and a few other bits and bobs.
The second lot are produced in response to strong emotions be it physical or emotional pain, sadness, fear or joy.
They contain all of the above but are also loaded with stress hormones. This has only recently been discovered in the past decade or so.
Stress hormones serve a very useful function, but once the crisis causing them to flood our system has passed they can then cause all sorts of damage, both mentally and physically. Our bodies get rid of them quickly by making us burst into tears.
Emotional crying is nothing more than a self-defence mechanism and NOT a sign of weakness, as our society erroneously tries to make out.
So that Old Wives saying that “Having a good cry, and letting it all out, will make you feel much better,” is a scientific fact. You’re letting all those superfluous stress hormones out via a good blub.
Many people hold back their tears for fear of upsetting others, or perhaps fearing that their tears means they’re having a nervous breakdown. If they can just hold back the tears then they’re somehow fending off a breakdown. They’re not, they’re actually making a nervous breakdown more likely.
Think of crying as the emotional equivalent of vomiting when you’ve got a tummy bug. Both are a means of ejecting from your body toxic substances. What would happen if your body refused to vomit when it needs too? You’d get even more ill.
You’d quickly end up in hospital having your stomach pumped out.
So, next time you feel like crying your heart out, and clench up against it, don’t. It’s not your heart you’ll be crying out; the only thing you’ll be crying out is those pesky stress hormones. And you really will feel a heck of a lot better for it.
I know I do. I shall give a recent example. Recently mum’s health nose-dived; she practically became a zombie. She’s 84 and I honestly thought she was at death’s door; I was at my wits end, feeling utterly helpless. It turned out to be down to something quite simple, and once that was sorted, she bounced back as rapidly as she had declined.
I was overjoyed, and happier than a pig in muck. I decided to take an hour off from caring (dad insisted on it) photographing birds in our back garden. There I was minding my own business, happily snapping away, when out of the blue I started crying my eyes out, seemingly for no reason.
But I knew the reason so did nothing to stop it. Why should I try and stop my body from getting rid of an accumulation of stress hormones? Besides, there were only a few birds to witness my so-called mini breakdown.
My crying jag only lasted a few minutes, and afterwards I felt totally relaxed, calm and very clear headed indeed.
Tears are ace, and the best pick-me-up I’ve yet to come across. Totally free too, and no side effects either! Unless you count other peoples disapproving reactions to them as a side-effect; stuff them! It’s your body, not theirs, just trying to heal itself, so let it. If others want to slowly wreck themselves by sneering at, or fearing, tears then that’s their lookout.
I’ll see if I can hunt down that scientific paper on tears, and post it up. It’s dead fascinating and not at all jargony, so easy to read and understand.
Have another cyber hug ((((((((((((())))))))))))
