Feel a little awkward about unleashing the waterworks from your eyes in an open forum? Not me anymore. I cry all the time anywhere and everywhere. It’s a great release and it is also an interesting gauge of people's comfort levels with emotions.
I cry at any animal adoption and rescue story or if soldiers are coming home and they surprise their families? I'm finished. If someone says anything even remotely mean to me or if they speak fondly of me. I cried this morning in the car on the way home from the gym. It happens regularly, it's become a shameless act that I couldn't even use as a guilt tactic on anyone at this point. Superficially, I like how green my eyes turn. It is like having two mood rings lodged into my head. If they turn a stormy grey, you better run.
As an adult, instead of hiding in the corner, I'm owning it. It's healthy. Mascara sometimes plays a factor, but the delicate dab under the lower lashline is a valuable skill to acquire. Crying is an expression of my high sensitivity, but it is also a way for me to strike a balance within my emotions. Suppression of any feelings leads to tension in the body. An unnecessary stressor can wreak havoc on your wellbeing. So you could rationalize your seemingly irrational tears as a way of regulating your nervous system.
My #1 tip for those of you who still withhold your tears when you feel them coming on is to let ‘er rip in the shower. Water is extremely purifying. In addition to keeping up with proper hygiene, water cleanses all. There are simple shower meditations to do instead of singing because maybe the bathroom acoustics lie to us... The purpose is to have the privacy, but also envision the water washing away all that no longer serves you. Sometimes with those painful thoughts and feelings, crying is inevitable and if you’re doing it in the shower, well imagine those emotions floating right down the drain; gone.
You can sob uncontrollably and nobody will know. If your eyes are still red and puffy upon exiting the bathroom, well blame it on the soap you got in your eye *wink.*
A shower is so personal, it’s that small portion of the day where you can be alone (usually) and tend to your wellbeing and if you want to focus on multitasking, this is an efficient way to cross multiple things off of the to-do list at once. I highly recommend this as an activity because you can train your brain to see the showers as washing away what is making you tear up and you end up squeaky clean in every way!
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