I relate to this so much. I cried frequently as a kid, and was sent to therapy for it very early. Decades of therapy later and still haven't stopped crying. I felt like a failure as a young adult because I tried so hard and for so long to stop, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to.
I still cry between 2-4 times a week as an adult, mostly at home privately. I have accepted this is just the way I am. It is usually due to an intense feeling that I cannot express otherwise. I feel things deeply; my brain takes in a ton of emotional content and as result I need methods of catharsis to process what I have taken in and release it. I see crying as a healthy coping mechanism in this respect, although I do accept that others don't see it that way.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I feel much more normal after reading this!
Wow. I am saving this one to reread, it is resonating in a big way. Beautiful writing, too. I was also a kid who cried a lot and cried easily, and as an adult, I do it in secret, but it's still there. I loved this.
Thank you for this beautifully written piece. I rarely cry these days but have had bad anxiety recently. When I cry, I actually feel good and more like my old self. I think there's an interesting connection between anxiety/disconnection from life versus crying. There's a lot to feel in life if you let yourself.
Oct 10, 2023·edited Oct 10, 2023Liked by Alyson Pomerantz, Sara Eckel
Fellow "former" crybaby here. Crying is viewed as a female thing, so I feel for you. I figured out that, for me, in many cases, I was absorbing other's emotions that weren't mine to take on. That realization helped me to notice when I was blurring what others were feeling with what I was feeling as two separate events. That was a healthier approach that consistently helped me. I'm glad you figured out your work-around. Great read!
Alyson, this is so beautifully written and so real. Thank you for writing it. I'm a bit of a crier myself though often at weird times but never really at the right time. I definitely need to figure that out too.
I relate to this so much. I cried frequently as a kid, and was sent to therapy for it very early. Decades of therapy later and still haven't stopped crying. I felt like a failure as a young adult because I tried so hard and for so long to stop, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to.
I still cry between 2-4 times a week as an adult, mostly at home privately. I have accepted this is just the way I am. It is usually due to an intense feeling that I cannot express otherwise. I feel things deeply; my brain takes in a ton of emotional content and as result I need methods of catharsis to process what I have taken in and release it. I see crying as a healthy coping mechanism in this respect, although I do accept that others don't see it that way.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I feel much more normal after reading this!
Wow. I am saving this one to reread, it is resonating in a big way. Beautiful writing, too. I was also a kid who cried a lot and cried easily, and as an adult, I do it in secret, but it's still there. I loved this.
Lovely writing and showing a practical way in. RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture
Thank you for this beautifully written piece. I rarely cry these days but have had bad anxiety recently. When I cry, I actually feel good and more like my old self. I think there's an interesting connection between anxiety/disconnection from life versus crying. There's a lot to feel in life if you let yourself.
Thoroughly enjoyed this well written essay on tears, emotional expression and personhood...thank you!
Fellow "former" crybaby here. Crying is viewed as a female thing, so I feel for you. I figured out that, for me, in many cases, I was absorbing other's emotions that weren't mine to take on. That realization helped me to notice when I was blurring what others were feeling with what I was feeling as two separate events. That was a healthier approach that consistently helped me. I'm glad you figured out your work-around. Great read!
Alyson, this is so beautifully written and so real. Thank you for writing it. I'm a bit of a crier myself though often at weird times but never really at the right time. I definitely need to figure that out too.