I’m a crier, make no mistake about it. I cry over all sorts of things: happy, sad, overwhelming… the tears will flow.
Until about a month ago.
I’ve not been able to cry for a month. Not because of some stoicism, not because of an emotional block. I’m physically not able to cry because it actually hurts. A LOT.
I came down with a case of shingles on my face and in my right eye one month ago. I had been weeping just days before as my heart was aching for the many people in my province who had been displaced or made homeless due to extreme flooding events that devastated multiple communities.
I had shed tears of gratitude over the fact that this year’s holiday season would be better than last year’s holidays.
I’d cried a couple of times simply from the overwhelm of everything I had on my plate as a solo mom lately.
No more. At least not at the moment.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel like crying right now. A lot. But the moment the tears well up and start to fall it feels like someone is setting my eyeball on fire and it literally stops me in my tracks. I freeze physically. My breath is taken away. And I shut it all down because the pain of crying is much worse than the tension building up in my body from not being able to right now.
And as is often the case, I now realize how powerful and healing the shedding of tears can be now that I’m not able to.
So I’m asking you to allow yourself the gift of tears when needed. Don’t get stuck in a bad bout of the blues if you can help it, but do let them out.
I don’t like crying in front of other people if I can help it. The exception to that being my kids… they’ve seen me cry lots. Not so much that they worry, but enough that they realize its okay to cry and that moms get sad and overwhelmed too. They also see me super happy, and on occasion, they’ve seen me angry (usually listening to the radio, lol!).
There are many healing aspects of shedding tears; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I realize how powerful the act is now. I hope you are able to allow yourself a few tears now and again.
As I’m wrapping this blogpost up, the radio has just started playing one of my most favourite Christmas songs (Fairytale of New York by The Pogues) which ALWAYS brings me to tears, so I’m having to struggle with holding them back as the pain is hot on their heels.
My friends, let those tears flow as needed… just don’t let yourselves drown in them.
Always from the heart,
Jennifer
“Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.”
Breeze Wellness 
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