6 Reasons Why You Can't Cry
"While there are no official statistics, the inability to cry is thought to be quite common. Many people can’t let out (negative) emotions in front of others—or at all.
1. Emotional Trauma
Having a history of emotional trauma can blunt the overt expression of feelings. According to Vingerhoets, a retired professor in the department of psychology at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, “From the moment someone experiences a psychic trauma, they can lose the ability to cry.” The reason usually involves a psychological defense mechanism to protect yourself from unpleasant feelings, either consciously or unintentionally.
2. Your Personality Style
Vingerhoets’s body of research has found that those who cry regularly report feeling more connected to others and also receiving more social support. But Vingerhoets points out that it’s nearly impossible to draw definite conclusions about the role of personality style in the lack of emotional expression from this single study.
3. Your Antidepressant
Some of the most widely used medications in psychiatry—the antidepressants known as selective serotonin (or serotonin/norepinephrine) reuptake inhibitors—can be an under-the-radar cause of suppressed tears. While they remain valuable tools in the treatment of anxiety and depression, these medications can make some patients feel numb.
4. Depression
5. A Medical Condition
6. Social Stigma
Bylsma, an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, states that “a need for control can keep some people from crying.” “People who were always invalidated as a child might be reluctant to cry. This is particularly likely for men,” says Bylsma."
Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!
Reflection:
What are your thoughts on crying? Does it help you feel better and get some of the stress off your chest?
#Crying #Stress #Depression #Trauma
@comfortableNight4463 Crying is a good way to cope and take out all the tension that you may be feeling. However there are other defense mechanisms too and everyone of us is expressing their feelings differently. Every coping mechanism is good as long as it's healthy. Thank you for the post!
@calmDew1576 I agree. Coping mechanisms are nothing to be ashamed of. They help and we should be able to use them freely. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@comfortableNight4463
I generally have a hard time making myself cry, but when I do (especially during very emotional times) it feels very releasing and in a deep way, comforting. Sure I like to hold control over how I express my emotions but I think this includes knowing when it's okay to cry.
@sunnyWriting4806 Yes! Crying can be so relieving. It's like opening up a faucet of your bottled emotions. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
This is my problem. I can't cry. I keep thinking. I wish I could cry once a while.
@Creamyyy I'm so sorry to hear that. What do you think is stopping you from crying? I hope you have other coping mechanisms to let things out once in a while.
Thank you for checking on me. I don't know why I cant cry. As for other mechanisms, well I try to talk but honestly even that is very difficult at times when I feel low on energy.
@Creamyyy I understand how you feel. It can be so overwhelming to talk about how you feel when you're stressed and upset. What do you think would help cope with your emotions in a way that suits you and doesn't overwhelm you further?
@comfortablenight4463
I honestly don't know what will help me. I just feel I'm trapped in a box.
@comfortablenight4463
@comfortableNight4463
I love to cry, because it makes me feel so much better after that. It also a great way to communicate if I'm having a hard time since I don't cry that often but when I do there is a reason for it. Crying is also a good way to realease stress. Thank you so much for posting!
