“Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.” ~Rita Schiano, Sweet Bitter Love.
Aristotle theorized that crying ‘cleanses the mind’ of suppressed sentiments by a process called catharsis. Tears are the reduction of distress by releasing pent-up emotions. Crying is often triggered by anger and grief, but sometimes tears can also result from sadness, happiness, fear, laughter, frustration, remorse or other strong feelings.
Why Crying is Good for You?
1. Tears are good, for the body and soul.
2. Crying helps you transit from feeling upset to feeling better.
3. Tears dissolve guilt and fear.
4. Tears help communication.
5. Crying is cathartic.
6. Tears are important in the maintenance of physical health and emotional balance.
Besides the sentimental reasons, there is a myriad of eye irritants from onions to dust to smoke that cause eyes to tear. There is scientific evidence that crying may be healthy for you. Unlike tears resulting from irritants, those caused by emotional stimuli contain more protein, manganese, potassium and prolactin. Manganese is an essential nutrient. Too little of it can lead to slow blood clotting, skin problems, and can lower cholesterol levels. Potassium helps in the working of nerves, muscle control, and regulating blood pressure. Prolactin combats stress and is vital for the immune system.
How tears heal us physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually explained.
1. Tears for Lubrication: The most basic function of tears is that they cleanse and lubricate our eyeballs and eyelids. In addition, they also prevent dehydration of our various mucous membranes. An absence of tears can be damaging to your eyes.
2. Remove Toxins: Emotional crying is a good way for the body to dispose of toxic substances. Tears caused by emotional stimuli contain high levels of cortisol, a hormone released during stressful situations. According to experts, the release of toxic elements from our bodies via tears supports our overall wellbeing.
3. Tears Kill Bacteria: Our tears work as antibacterial and antiviral agents to combat germs we pick up on community computers, shopping carts, and public places. Tears contain lysozyme, an enzyme that has the ability to kill 90 to 95 percent of all bacteria in just 5-10 minutes!
4. Elevate Mood: Research has established that the body releases endorphins, the feel good hormone while experiencing the emotion that causes tears. People report that a good cry makes them feel better and more at peace. Such a positive emotion is worth the red eyes and puffy nose. Statistics reveal that it improves the mood of 88.8 percent with only 8.4 percent feeling worse.
5. Coping with Stress: The shedding of tears is the body’s innate healing mechanism of coping with stress and loss. Crying is a means to restore psychological and physiological balance. Jerry Bergman in his book "The Miracle of Tears" states, “Suppressing tears increases stress levels, and may contribute to diseases aggravated by stress, such as high blood pressure, heart problems, and peptic ulcers.”
6. Other Therapeutic Effects of Tears: Studies indicate that shedding of tears increase skin sensitivity and help our breathing to deepen -- both very healthy signs. According to experts, crying is letting go of that which has been too much for the body to sustain. The natural outpouring, a sign of distress, improves social support and reduces aggression. Moreover, asthma attacks, long thought to be largely psychosomatic may cease as a result of crying.
William Frey, in his book ‘Crying the Mystery of Tears’ has states, “It is no accident that crying has survived evolutionary pressures. Humans are the only animals to evolve this ability to shed tears in response to emotional stress, and it is likely that crying survived the pressures of natural selection because it has some survival value.”
Apart from the health benefits of crying, especially in response to physical and/or emotional pain, if you are finding yourself crying more frequently than usual or are having difficulty handling stressful situations, then it may be time to reach out and talk to your healthcare professional to determine if your tears are a symptom of something more serious.
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