EMO HEALTH: Tears, according to Jackie.

When I’m upset…I cry.  

Period.

            I’ve never been able to hold back tears, whether from grief, joy, fear, confrontation, stress, anger, irritation, laughter…   You name it, they flow.  It’s part of who “Jackie” is.  I gave up trying to suppress them, years ago. 

But if you hadn’t noticed, society doesn’t generally view tears as normal - even though they are absolutely normal and natural.  Tears have a purpose. 

Crying is literally a release of hormones and/or enzymes.  They contain stress hormones that need to be expelled, or enzymes that protect our eyes.  It is a necessary and healthy process that western civilization has frowned upon, and I am here to say, “Forget that!”

 If me pondering about societal norms is showing my age...no bigs.  I would hope that iGen-ers and Millennials embrace the free-flow of tears.  I consider myself quite evolved in this respect.  Age Schmage.

BTW, for the sake of this blog, I’m speaking more to the “stress hormone” kind of tears. 

In my family, we deal with serious issues regarding the broken mental health system, and legal ramifications due to the criminalization of the mentally ill.  This amounts to a WHOLE-LOTTA-STRESS.  So, crying happens.  A lot.  “A lot,” a lot.  For me, at least.  

 This doesn't mean I'm not happy.  I am a naturally happy person.  But in context of very difficult family situations, a very happy person can be VERY sad.  There's a balance...and I have a lot of both.  So, when stress happens - and lately it's been pretty constant - bring on the tissue boxes, because that stress needs to leave my body, stat!  For Jackie, crying is the healthiest and fastest way to get those unhealthy hormones, gone.  Buh-bye stress.

Yup, those tears come fast and furious.  They flow on the daily.  They stream like your Amazon Prime’s “Mozart In the Jungle”.  They streak my face, leaving salty tracks.  And I’m completely okay with that.  As Smokey Robinson would say, the “Tracks of My Tears” (again, showing my age…but so what?! J  That song is a classic.  If you young’uns  don’t know it, tsk tsk.  Oh sorry, I mean, smh…ugh...)  The tear stains are evidence of my broken heart regarding the damage the mental health system has unintentionally inflicted on my dear brother in the name of "treatment," i.e. good intentions.  So I'll cry.  Oh I'll cry, alright.  You would too if your sibling had suffered, so.

Why does this culture see crying as taboo?  Is it because tears make OTHERS uncomfortable?  That’s my first guess.  I get it.  I mean, only a compassionate soul would feel discomfort being around someone that has tears in their eyes.  Only a person with empathy would have a reaction of distress when witnessing another’s anguish, right?  I hope that’s the underlying reason.  Because this whole notion of "crying is a sign of weakness” is SO beyond the pale of the authentic human condition, I cannot for the life of me imagine why that has ever been accepted as the norm.  Weakness, nyet!  

Au contraire…  Crying is more a strength than a weakness in “Jackie’s Book of…All That.”  Get with it, ‘merica.

On top of that, holding in sad emotions can lead to heart failure.  Not kidding.  Prolonged emotional stress, anxiety and sadness causes “broken heart syndrome” AKA Stress cardiomyopathy.  Don’t believe me?  Ask your cardiologist.  

Or wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takotsubo_cardiomyopathy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tears#Types

So go ahead, let the cry, cry.  Let the tears, tear.  See if it makes YOU feel better.  See how others react.  I laugh at it, sometimes.  Tears come out of nowhere and surprise me - still!  Not to mention everyone around…lol.  But, until we can accept our whole humanness, and stop putting labels on normal reactions to adverse and emotional situations, then we will have even more reason to cry.  Sometimes the solution is the polar opposite of what we’ve been taught.

Here’s a thought:  If someone with you cries, try hugging that person.  That’ll do a load of good.  And FOR GOD’S SAKE don’t jump to a pill or drug to suppress your normal emo.  It’s actually a NEED.  We need tears.  They’re kinda my BFF.  They’ve been here for me my whole life…and I appreciate how they help keep me healthy.

I’ve learned to accept who I am, and releasing stress with a few beautiful drops of emotion out of the corners of my eyes is just "me being me."  So, bring on the water works.  It's all good.

I'm getting misty just thinking about it… 

#NOthere’sNOTdustInHereI’mCRYINGstoopid!   

#CryingIsTheNewYoga~~NAMASTE

#HugsAndLoveToYouAll  <3

#CrocodileTearsRock

~Jackie D.