Stop apologizing for your tears, and start using them to your advantage.

Cry openly and laugh out loud. Express yourself not only during the good times, but also during times when you might otherwise hibernate with a bucket of ice cream and a cheap bottle of wine.

This is easy for me to say because I’m a natural crier. I let go during commercials, any animal advocate broadcast, at the grocery store, getting gas, with friends, alone, with family, with my cats, pretty much everywhere but work. And even there, I shed a tear or two.

Naturally releasing stress hormones and toxins, while producing feel-good hormones called endorphins are just a few of the medical advantages listed by tear experts like Dr. William Frey, Ramsey Medical Center, Minneapolis. But here is a list of other perks to emotional purging that may be a surprise.

1. The salty wonder mist makes your skin look better. I am always complimented on how great my skin looks after a night of pouring tears. I think the water/salt combo makes the perfect organic toner. I seriously need to bottle, market, and become rich off this.
2. You are seen as more trustworthy. Have you ever talked to a person who is sooooo very sad and doesn’t know what he/she will do? I have, and unless they’re in panic mode, they should trust me that they can release raw emotion in front of me, so in turn I will trust them more. See how that works? I’m not saying you have to cry to prove anything, but when one is sad, actions should match. We expect the same when we’re confident, happy, or any other emotion. Why not when we’re depressed?
3. Crying burns calories. I’m not kidding. Obviously everything we do with our bodies uses energy, but you can’t really shove carbs in your face all that easy when you are weeping. Instead of eating, drinking, or whatever else you’ve adopted to fill emotional voids, try crying it out. The emotional release will help dodge dessert cravings.
4. You will get strange yet Insta-worthy reactions from your pets. My cat Willa gives me a blank stare as if to say, “You’re sad? That’s nice. Can I have some treats?” I can be sobbing my face off and she’ll just meow with that little squishy face of hers gawking at me. Pets are probably cool with us crying because unlike a lot of humans, they don’t see it as being taboo.
5. Crying is an opportunity for you to do some soul searching without having to think about it all that much. Meditation, yoga, and relaxing are amazing if you can get there. If you’re more like me, SQUIRREL. What was I saying? Crying, especially alone, is an emotional release. With that action comes thoughts. If there were a crying wheel, it may look something like this: feelings > release/crying > emotions > thoughts > revolutions. You don’t always get a mind-blowing awareness after a good wail, but you will be more in touch with yourself. And that is always a blessing.

We are born crying; it’s one of the reasons we survive. Babies need to open up breathing channels, and newborns do this by crying. Twenty, thirty, forty years down the road, you still need to breathe correctly. Naturally letting your tears flow is an act of confidence and trust. I don’t want to see you die crying. I want us all to leave this earth being as authentic to ourselves as we possibly can. Perhaps, we should strive for tears of joy at the end.

These theories are those of the author, me, Megan James. I am not a doctor. I am a writer who cries a lot and wanted to share my ideas about it.

 Photo courtesy of Pixabay.