Is crying a good or bad way to cope with depression/depressed feelings?
41 Answers
Last Updated: 04/14/2020 at 8:30pm
Moderated by
Cynthia Stocker, LCSW,
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
My approach is direct, kind, honest & collaborative. My clients appreciate that I help them in a way that cuts through the jargon and gives clear explanations.
Top Rated Answers
Many times after feeling depressed for a while, people tend to feel nothing at all, to feel numb. Crying shows that you are feeling something. And I think that letting out those tears and feelings are a good thing. Because it shows that you are getting somewhere! You are working on expressing those feelings! I think that crying is not a sign of weakness, but a sign that you have been strong for too long! It's okay not to be strong for a while. It's okay to be vulnerable, to cry. Because it does get you somewhere. And it proves that you are going through the process of accepting these emotions rather than keeping them in!
Crying is actually a good way to express our emotions. Its somehow venting out our feeling. It would feel better after crying.
Crying is always a good way to cope with depression/depressed feelings . It literally makes you feel better. Think of the tears as all the negative things exiting your being. All of them being washed away, making way for new and fresh things.
Anonymous
January 4th, 2016 1:13pm
Crying is good.
It is cathartic and gets a lot of tension out.
It is in many ways a healing act for the person in pain.
Anonymous
January 9th, 2015 7:30pm
Good - your emotions are valid and you're only human. It's okay to cry, we need the tears to wash our vision clean again. It's a healthy and safe way of letting out emotions.
Sometimes you need to cry in order to release your emotions. If crying becomes one of the only things you do besides eating and sleeping, it is time for you to seek some help and get the relief you deserve.
Crying, I find, can be very cathartic and a good release of pent up emotion. In that way it can be very helpful!
Personally I would say that crying is a good sign. Often when we are very depressed we are unable to cry. But if you feel you need to then it can allow you to release emotions and feelings that you might have been having to work hard to hold inside and it will also lower your stress levels. There is also evidence that crying can actually result in elevated mood. If you can choose when to cry - I guess the time and the place are important considerations. Crying is also an outward display of emotions. It will signal to others how you are feeling which might turn out to be a good way of communicating without having to put it into words.
Crying can be a good SHORT TERM way to cope with depression/depressed feelings. Studies have shown that crying can improve your mood and relieve stress for some people, but it depends on the person. So yes, crying may help for a little while, but it is not a good long term solution to depression. Depression requires professional help in most cases in order to be cured/treated.
Crying is good and releases endorphin's in the body which calm the body down. If the crying does not stop then it is wise to contact a health professional.
Personally, I think it is. We have all kinds of coping mechanisms and some people find crying relieving. So if for you personally you feel like crying makes you feel better, then you should go do it, just as long as you don't try to hurt yourself afterwards.
Anonymous
June 11th, 2015 11:32am
No doubt crying is a good way to cope with depression. Most of the times depression are caused by not revealing your true emotion and opinions which will ultimately cause a depression. Crying is a really good way to release your emotion and unhappiness.
Sometimes, crying can make you feel a lot better. It's a good way to let out all of your pent-up emotions.
Crying is a good coping skill. Sometimes you need to release the pain, stress, and emotions from your body to be able to bring yourself to a better place. There is no shame in crying from time to time.
Crying can often be very cathartic and a good way to let out negative feelings that were pent up. It might be very painful or embarrassing to cry, but it can do your emotions a ton of good.
Crying occasionaly is a good start because it helps release the pent up emotions. If you find yourself crying all the time, however, it's time to seek help.
Anonymous
August 31st, 2015 7:08pm
It depends on the person! It is important, though, to remember that just because you are crying, doesn't mean anything bad about you! If you feel like a good, hard cry helps you before going on to tackle the problem- then go for it! Doing what makes you happy and healthy is important :)
Anonymous
September 28th, 2015 7:32am
Crying is a great way to cope with depression/depressive feelings because you are letting go of all your stress and frustration when you cry. It's a very healthy thing to do.
It's good thing to get part of emotions off you. It can give you a temporal relief. In the long run therapy is the way to go.
With depression, it can be hard to express feelings. It some cases, some people say they feel like they don't feel anything. By crying, you're showing that you're feeling. While it might not be the most recommended method of coping, crying can be extremely cathartic. Letting bad emotions out leaves room for good ones. So, if crying is how you need to cope right now, then let the tears flow! But also recognize that it would be a good idea to begin working towards a better way of coping.
Anonymous
April 25th, 2015 12:31am
Crying can be a good way to cope with depression, depressed feelings, or any negative feelings, really. It's a good way to let those emotions out, so that they can pass. The best way to cope with emotions is to recognize them, allow yourself to feel them, and allow them to pass, and crying can help with all three!
Anonymous
September 7th, 2015 10:25pm
Crying can be extremely helpful, but you'll need to find another way to help get through the depression and depressed feelings, but if you ever feel like crying then go for it, sometimes a good hard cry can really help.
Anonymous
November 2nd, 2015 7:00pm
If crying helps get your feelings out in a way that does not cause self-harm, then it would be a way to cope. However, if it is very constant then it would be best to seek professional help.
I think crying is good in general. You should never hold back your emotions so if you feel like crying then cry because you might feel better afterwards.
Anonymous
May 17th, 2016 9:47pm
To me i find crying really useful as with time it dries making us stronger then never before! So i guess it's a good way to let the feelings flow out with tears!
sometimes crying is good because you can express your feelings inside that you can't tell to anyone, but crying too hard it damages your life and you can get hopeless
I think crying is a good way to cope with depression as it lets out your closed emotions and feelings and once you cry it all out you feel as though a big burden has just been released from your shoulders.
Crying is good and very therapeutic. It gets everything out. There is no reason to keep it all inside!
Crying is a good way to cope with depression. It is never healthy to keep your feelings bottled up inside, and if nothing else works, crying is a great way to cope.
Anonymous
December 12th, 2017 6:46pm
Sometimes people like to cry as they consider it as cleaning their views of life and how things are. It is totally okay to cry and can help let out how you are feeling
Related Questions: Is crying a good or bad way to cope with depression/depressed feelings?
What do you do when you have no passion or drive?My anxiety is getting worse and depression won't let me live my life, how do I overcome this?I feel sad a lot, unmotivated, and I often can't stop crying for many hours. But I sleep and eat decently and I also can smile or laugh sometimes. Am I depressed or just sad?How to get things done professionaly at work when I'm very depressed?Is it normal to not want to get better?How do I keep myself from getting to attached to people?I am struggling with codependency and depression. I cannot afford therapy. What can I do to get help?How do I help explain to a parent that what I feel is valid after they reacted badly?How can I open up to people more even if it scares me?I think I have depression and I want to tell my parents but my brother recently got diagnosed so I feel like they would think that I'm just trying to get attention. What do I do?