Divorce Got You Down? Go Cry About It!

Whoever said “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, really should have done some research.

If there was ever a life event that justifies random or prolonged periods of crying, divorce could win the prize. During my own divorce, my boss at the time got so used to me sitting at my desk and quietly weeping that I’m pretty sure she stopped noticing after a while…or she got so sick of the tears she just ignored them. Either way, it was a blessing because after each cry session, whether it was for 5 seconds or for 5 minutes, I always felt better.

There are reasons that a person feels better after a good cry. It’s all part of how the beautiful and amazing human body is designed to literally take on any type of problem that it might encounter.

Here’s a summary of the facts on crying, straight from Medical News Today (click here for the full, very informative article with citations) and with it, my encouragement to cry like the big girl that you are:

1. Has a soothing effect Researchers have found that crying may have a direct, self-soothing effect on people. The study explained how crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which helps people relax.
2. Gets support from others As well as helping people self-soothe, crying can help people get support from others around them. Crying is primarily an attachment behavior, as it rallies support from the people around us. This is known as an interpersonal or social benefit.
3. Helps to relieve pain 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.
4. Enhances mood Crying may help lift people’s spirits and make them feel better. As well as relieving pain, oxytocin and endorphins can help improve mood. This is why they are often known as “feel good” chemicals.
5. Releases toxins and relieves stress When humans cry in response to stress, their tears contain a number of stress hormones and other chemicals. Researchers believe that crying could reduce the levels of these chemicals in the body, which could, in turn, reduce stress. More research is needed in this area, however, to confirm this.
6. Aids sleep Researchers also found that crying can help babies sleep better. Whether crying has the same sleep-enhancing effect on adults is yet to be researched however, it follows that the calming, mood-enhancing, and pain-relieving effects of crying above may help a person fall asleep more easily.

So the next time the urge hits you to let loose with the tears, DON’T HOLD BACK! Enjoy a little sob session and remember…, big girls DO cry!