Originally posted on Facebook HERE
We’ve all heard the expression “don’t cry”. I heard it the other day and thought, as I usually do, “why not”? Why would you try to deny yourself a good cry if that’s what you’re feeling in that moment? Why is there a stigma attached to crying at all, or any other emotion really? Crying seems to be viewed as a weakness I guess, especially for men. I have never bought into this. We’re all human, with feelings and emotions. Why not feel them all 100%? Love, anger, gratitude, jealousy, confidence, embarrassment, curiosity, sadness… and a host of others. Shouldn’t we let ourselves feel our feelings and emotions? Then, naturally, life will try to avoid the ones we don’t like – anger, jealousy, sadness… but does denying ourselves the emotions and feelings that go with them when it happens do anything but hurt us in the long run? Because it will happen. We’ll get angry. We’ll be jealous. We’ll feel sad. We’ll want to cry. So cry. Cry when you are sad, or overwhelmed with gratitude, or scared, or whatever the reason is. Surrender to it. Let it go. The idea that suppressing emotions is somehow more “manly” or acceptable than feeling them will mean pushing them down, not releasing that energy, and creating problems for the future when that energy finally grows to the point where it has to be released somehow. In a fit of rage maybe. I’ve seen sports stars be vilified for crying during their retirement speeches. When he was in the NFL, Dick Vermiel was known for displaying his emotions, whatever they were. Rather than make him an outcast, he was loved by players and fans alike. That release of emotion brought them closer to him. Because we’re all human. We all have within us the same feelings and emotions. And when we see someone talk with great emotion, we feel it. When music is played with great emotion, we feel it. When someone is overwhelmed with joy, or sadness, we feel it. And we’re right there with them. Why would you feel the need to hold back and deny that connection? Sometimes it takes more courage to let it go.
