Meaning-Making

Why do people cry?

“Maybe emotion becomes so intense your body just can’t contain it; your mind and your feelings become too powerful and your body weeps.”–City of Angels

Have you ever cried so hard that your tears weep from the depths of your soul?

I have. Recently…

About a month ago, I had something difficult and unexpected happen in my life. Something I wasn’t particularly prepared for, but knew could happen. And when it did, and I understood that the experience was real, I began to cry. The kind of cry where you full-out weep, with your hands over your face. And tears like raindrops creating puddles and waterfalls cascading over your hands onto the floor. The kind of tears that run down your face with trails of black mascara. The kind of cry that makes your cheeks and eyes turn red. The kind of cry that weeps deep down from the pit of your soul. The kind of cry that leaves you feeling numb when you are done.

For a few days the tears just kept coming whenever they felt like it: washing dishes, combing my hair, hugging my husband, petting my cat… I stopped here and there wiped my nose, caught my breath, and sat quietly too.I got a break every once in a while, however, where I could feel quiet and calm. And regain some sense of myself. And day by day it got a bit easier and the tears got a bit less…

Tears and crying are a part of our creation; they are a part of our human design; i.e., they are a part of life. We hear of people weeping in stories, we watch it happen on TV, and we also weep. Tears have a purpose in our creation. Something changes in us when we cry. So I ask, What changes within you when you cry?

For me I realize over and over it’s like the quote at the begining from City of Angels: allowing ourselves to cry allows the deep pain within our bodies to be released. Crying allows your mind, body and spirit to release the pain, the anger, the grief, the anxiety, and the fear. And we are changed by this release.

Are you one to cry and let out your grief? Is it a comfortable release or something you avoid?

We each make meaning out of our emotions and others emotions differently. Tears, and crying can mean very different things to each of us. Thus, we all have different comfort levels with grief, and especially grief that is outward, such as tears. Tears can be a very natural and comfortable release for some of us, and for others of us, tears can be very uncomfortable and try to be avoided. How we make meaning out of our expression of emotions effects our journey of healing.

When I worked in the hospitals and visited patients, sometimes we would have a deep conversation that opened itself to the person needing to release their suffering through tears, and yet s/he would stop himself/herself from crying because s/he saw tears as a sign of weakness. I would encourage him/her to let out the tears, but often the person was unable because s/he wanted to be strong.

I believe tears, are a great source of healing for us. And thus, allowing ourselves to cry makes us stronger because when you cry you make space within your mind, body and spirit for healing to happen. Instead of holding in anxiety, grief, anger, fear which weaken us and can make us ill, your body is being given permission to heal because you are “letting go” of these feelings.

So my answer to my question, What changes within you when you cry? is:

CRYING allows You to BEGIN to HEAL.

So even if you haven’t been one to cry, or even if you are one to cry..

Remember, sometimes it is good to cry and let grief have its way. Your tears allow you to release pain, sorrow, and disappointment, in a very bodily, and emotional way. And allowing yourself to cry makes room for healing and hope.

May you allow yourself to grieve when you need to, and to open yourself to hope and healing, as you go through the process.

And most importantly as you grieve:

Be gentle with yourself, you are a marvelous creation, even your tears are a part of the wonder you are.

There is a Divine LOVE ready to embrace you.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Your body holds a deep wisdom. Your deep truths to healing and connection flow right in the very cells and tissues of your created body. When you listen to the wisdom of your body and work as a partner in your body’s healing you actually become healthier.

A metaphor for the wisdom of your body:

Pregnancy is an amazing and mysterious state of life. When I got pregnant with my son, I was amazed at how my body just seemed to know exactly what to do. You are going about your normal way of taking care of yourself: eating, working, exercising, talking, & sleeping, and yet your body is being transformed millisecond by millisecond to make space for a little person who will be changing your life forever. Your organs are being pushed around and moved to different places in your body, and yet they still function exactly the way they are supposed to in order to keep you living and well. You don’t have to give orders or say, move this way; they just know. Your body knows.

I’ve always been the kind of person to pay attention to what my body is telling me. But I haven’t always been very good at listening to what it is really saying. When I was pregnant I started to really listen though. And I realized that my body really is a miracle.

Your body really is a miracle.

I didn’t have to tell my body to produce milk for my son, it just did.
I didn’t have to tell my organs to go back to where they belong after birth, they just did.

I did have to care for myself though, and show my body gentleness and respect, so that I could heal. We have to work as companions with our bodies towards our healing. Your body already knows what it needs to do to seek healing and well-being for you-i.e. bodily wisdom, but you need to work with your body so that the healing can be effective. If you work with your body to be well and heal, you will heal.

If you work against your body or do not take care of your body your healing will take longer and your body may work against you–I also know this is true because I had many healing complications after my pregnancy because I wasn’t taking care of myself (my postpartum depression was in control then).

What has your experience of physical, mental or spiritual healing been like for you?

This metaphor of pregnancy and the wisdom of your body isn’t just for those who have given birth, it is a metaphor of bodily wisdom for all persons.

Your body knows what it needs to do
to heal
to create
to be well
to regain strength.

Take time to be with yourself today
to listen to your body
to be aware of your body
to feel your body
to experience your body—being cognicent of all your organs, cells and tissues working to keep you well.

Your body has deep wisdom. Learn from it. Nourish it. Love it.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

***I originally wrote this post about a year ago, but wanted to share it again, because its message is speaking to parts of Life that I am encountering in myself and others at this time.***

Tag: Meaning-Making

It’s Okay to Cry, Really It Is

The Healing Wisdom of Your Body: A Metaphor

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