For better mental health, let the tears out

As mentioned earlier this month, I am not afraid of a good long cry. There are certain places where I do my best not to cry, like at work. I try to suck it up and let the tears out later when I won't be interrupted. Fortunately I have a wonderful job right now that doesn't cause me tears.

My son is young, so he is prone to tears whenever he doesn't get his way in life and for him the location doesn't matter. There are two versions of his crying: The unhappy fake tears that he still displays when he thinks something is unfair, and the real ones that he sheds when he is really in need of a way to let his emotions out. (Both hurt to watch.)

When he is done crying his real tears, I try to remind him that it is good to cry and that crying is a good way to let out his unhappy feelings. I let him know that crying makes us feel better, as long as the tears are real.

Science backs me up on this one (thanks, science!) Tear researchers (wow - that's a thing?) state that people who cry are generally more stress-free overall (because they let the negativity out) and that they are often more secure in their emotions.

So, go ahead and cry when you need to. You may feel better and stronger overall. And, you may be sharing an important lesson with your children in the progress.

When's the last time you had a good long cry? Tell me in the comments.