Crying for no reason? Here’s what to do.

Hi Suzanne, Thank you for your words in Tears are Heaven Sent. Sometimes when you know someone else feels and does things exactly like you do it helps so much.

One day I hope I too will be able to feel joy in my tears. I can feel how they are (would be) 'heaven sent', but for now I think I have still to work through feelings of shame.

My sister Katy feels the same way, but for her she feels more vulnerable than shamed.

Thank you for for sharing how it was and now is for you. It is comforting to know we too perhaps can reach that joy. Maybe one day. At least we know it is possible for you, and we are both really happy for you. Your website is so helpful, and thank you.

Sandra (UK)

Oh you're so welcome Sandra.

We're all just learning from each other eh.

Best,
Shrinklady

Recently, I've been feeling so... tired, I guess. I get this way on and off, and I always feel like I need to shut down, and lock myself in my room. I always get up and go to school, but my friends are noticing it more and more.

I feel so close to just falling apart into tears, but it's like I don't have any left. It's like there's this hole in me where something's missing, and I can't find it, and I can't even fill the hole with tears anymore.

Tears are like rain in a drought to me, and the fact that I haven't shed any scares me...

Ashley (USA)

It may be Ashley that you're just tapped out at present. You need "room" to cry actually. You might be a bit numb.

If so, it means your nervous system is too full.

Try to find an activity that lets you go into a deep state of relaxation. Then sense into your body. If a few tears rise to the surface, that's a good sign.

Then move through gently doing some healing work as you do so.

Best,
Shrinklady

I have cried a lot these past three years due to my once-frozen grief coming to the surface as I worked through memories of severe child abuse, including rejection, neglect, and abandonment.

I often believe that I have been depressed all of my life. Is that possible? I learned to dissociate as a child in order to cope with severe abuse, but I often didn't want to continue living, even when I was a young girl. I just didn't want to hurt every day or be tormented each and every day. I think my body is totally worn and exhausted, probably have adrenal fatigue among many other physical maladies.

What does a person like me do? I mean, all of this started for me years and years ago, probably preverbally. I am "triggered" very easily.....by things I see or hear, by sounds, by cars backfiring, doors slamming......hearing a child crying.....all of these bring flashbacks which leave me feeling terrified and sobbing.

I have grown very tired of life. Very, very tired of continuing to live through all the sadness of my life. Growing up I cannot recall one kind word from either parent. I never heard that I was loved, that I was special, that I was wanted. On the contrary, I heard the opposite. I was never hugged or tucked into bed. No one ever read to me.

Is it a surprise that I feel utterly and completely alone in the world? What are triggers and why do they happen?

And my biggest question is this: I've spent a long time today reading your information here, and it has helped me immeasurably, but is there any hope for someone like me? I've merely survived, not thrived. Can a person like me learn how to find joy in life? People will say to me, "Well, you're a MENSA member....surely you can figure out how to 'get over' all your depression and grief......Just 'DO IT,' like the Nike commercial says." I want to scream in their faces.

All I've ever done for years is go to therapy, read hundreds of books, journal, practice cognitive therapy.....to the point that I'm tired of trying. Please tell me that there is still hope for me. Don't I deserve to feel good, without my nervous system being constantly revved, for once in my life before I die? (Oh, and to top it all off, I find that I am a right-brained person, and I fit the criteria for "Highly Sensitive People.")

Can you detect my level of desperation, ShrinkLady?

Dawn (Tennessee, USA)

I don't know how long I've been depressed, but I know things have been like this for at least 5 months now. I don't think my symptoms are as serious as clinical depression, so I'm guessing I have dysthymic symptoms? Anyway, I'm only 15 and I'm way too scared to go to anyone about these issues.

I used to self-injure but then I found out that it didn't work for me, so I have all this anger, frustration, and sadness bottled up inside me all the time and my parents constantly have this impression that I'm really bratty and irritable, but I can't explain and I feel alone. I wore a lot of black but I put on a good show and my friends thought I was the happiest girl on earth.

I can't cry, and it's been so many months that it's scary. I would like to consider myself as in recovery, but I still have a low self-esteem and I don't want to go into remission even though it seems so easy. I've been alone every step of the way and I'm so tired of shoving my feelings aside. I don't know what's wrong because nothing traumatic of stressful has been going on. Please help!

JH (Toronto, Canada)

well i have this friend and she is constantly up and down. and within the past few wks she's been more on the down...she's overly sensitive and says that nothin is going right in her life as far as her job, finances, and being lonely....im running out of things to say to her cuz she is never taking my advice...what is it that can help her because i feel like she is really depressed....

lashon (north carolina, usa)

Thank you, that was a brilliant article on Tears, really wonderful and helpful.

I need 'to learn' to let go, to cry. Virtually impossible for me unless I am on my own.....and then only rarely.

Sky

I am breaking down in tears nearly weekly because people are stressing me out.

Is this natural?

Nathan

Sorry to hear how it's going Nathan. Being tearful on a weekly basis is certainly not healthy. I can imagine life is a bit of a struggle right now.

Consider this.

When we're breaking down in tears on an ongoing basis it's likely that the source of the problem is coming from within yourself. For instance, you might examine what's happening in your life and to ask yourself, in times before, could you have managed the stress that these folks appear to be causing you now?

It's very possible that your nervous system is too activated and you're moving from crisis to freeaze states. There's no buffer zone for you to manage the activation associated with stress. So, it's a "natural" state when the nervous system is "maxed" but it's not a place where we want to be for very long.

BTW, if you haven't already seen the movies Inside Job Parts I & II, you might find them helpful in understanding why you're not doing well. (You'll have to login the Myshrink Members area to see them.)

Briefly stated, if you think of your body as a container that holds emotions then consider that the container is too full. There's little room for you to manage emotions. By "emptying" out the container you'd find it easier to manage stress and your emotions.

In other words, your activation level is too high and you're running on empty. By lowering your activation (I describe how to do this in the Brain Coaching Program), you'll find it easier to live your life.

Hope things improve for you,

Best,

Shrinklady

Tears scare me. No matter how often I break down and cry - it never gets any easier. Last year I was hospitalized because I could not stop crying. Well, the crying is resurfacing and I am doing all I can to hide this from my family. I do not want to find myself back in the hospital.

Sometimes I sob, other times I whimper like a lost child. I never seem to be able to make a connection with the tears - I have no idea where they come from or why they are there. I do not like to cry for no reason... Well, yesterday the tears returned - full blast! I cried for hours and felt worse when I stopped. I feel as if I have no control over my tears. I try really hard to not cry around people - but I have this desire to just break down and cry with my therapist. I want her to hold me, make it safe and allow me to cry. I turn my tears away and hold on to this "I have no feelings" attitude. If I can not name the emotion, by God I am not going to feel it! (At least, not in front of another person!) I wish I could feel some release from the tears...

What you wrote in "Tears are heaven sent..." makes me want to allow myself to feel or to release my feelings - but I can not break down the walls around me! A part of me is very afraid that if I really cry (especially where people could see) I might lose control. Tears are just so frightening and here I go again - the tears are falling and I just want some one to hold me and make it all better! Tears can not hurt me - so why am I so afraid of them!?

KS (Texas, USA)

Yes, tears can be enormously scary KS. They make us feel vulnerable when we are usually already in a shaky place. In my case, holding it all together was a matter of emotional survival. To cry meant losing that safety. However, in reality the lack of safety was the reason for my inability to cry. I wonder if this same scenario fits for you?

It caught my eye when I read your post, "I just want some one to hold me and make it all better". This is exactly what you need during tearful times. I recommend this to clients often when they get into those places. I suggest they ask a friend to hug them for as long as they can "tolerate" the good stuff of a warm connection - it could be for a few seconds or several minutes.

It's really what many of us need when we are in a sad, tearful place. This idea can't replace it, but if you can imagine the best hug you ever received while you're in the midst of your tears, it might help you to move through them a little easier. It's also a way for you to heal what's behind the tears.

It's also possible that there's a connection between the tears and what's happening in your body. I remember working with someone who would cry "for no reason" and although there were difficult historical issues awaiting resolution, the tears were a way of discharging the overwhelm that she was not consciously aware of in her nervous system. Just a thought...

Your post also reminds me that you know with all the invasive therapies (e.g. drug therapy, electro convulsive therapy), probably one day we'll figure out that what we all needed to heal were just more hugs.

Did you know there is a hug day? There are volunteers who stand in front of public buildings and offer hugs for free to anyone who asks...revolution comes in the smallest of packages!

Hope that helps KS,

Shrinklady

Hi ShrinkLady, I am glad that I found this article. I had been in therapy for about six months - the good kind (holistic- integrated) While I was in therapy the numbing - flat feeling slowly dissipated, and I feel more emotions than ever. Before therapy - I held my emotions tightly, and like you, would not, mostly could not cry-especially in front of others. Now I understand that early child trauma - hurts are what caused this.

Here is the problem - is it possible to become too open, too honest with my feelings, too vulnerable, often feeling like a hurt and scared child? I feel too much sometimes and I am not sure if this is depression with tears, or am I just experiencing a greater range of emotions? I should add that there are circumstances - that at this point - beyond my control that may be contributing to this. I am by no means closing the door to therapy, just seeing how I can manage on my own for the summer.

Helen (NJ, USA)

Hi Helen, I'm really pleased you've been experiencing changes in your work and that, from the sounds of it, you have a good therapist to help you on your way.

As your heart opens up, you will feel pain - that's the reason why it was closed down - and you may experience this as grief. This is the normal course of events as we open up.

You're learning a great deal at this time Helen. You are stretching the edges of your capacity. Your nervous system is learning how to manage these deeper emotions. You see, as human beings we must learn how to tolerate the sensations of intense feelings. Hopefully, a good chunk of these pathways are laid down during infancy and fortunately, due to the plasticity of the brain, we can learn how to do this at any time across our lifespan.

As your emotions expand there will be times when you overshoot the mark - you will go too deep or share too much with another person. That's okay. This will happen.

Here's a few suggestions. Trust your body. Whenever you are feeling "exposed" by too much self-disclosure, find a safe comfortable place and pull inward in a self-protective mode. This might mean curling up in your bed in the middle of the day. It might mean sitting in a darkened room for a while. Both of these tactics reduce the incoming stimulation and help the reptilian brain to feel safe.

Notice how it feels in your body but be sure not to make any judgments or interpretations about it. You're doing exactly what your body needs. In time, you'll be able to tolerate more and more.

I suspect you will be on a learning curve in regards to how much is "too much" for some time. Eventually, I'm almost certain, if you continue your work chances are you'll look back at this time and notice that you are no longer feeling the vulnerable and scary feelings to the same degree.

Best,

Shrinklady

Hello Again Shrinklady,

I just read my post and your response from the summer, and I am happy to say- that I really see some changes. I am still in therapy (almost a year) with the same super therapist and I am working hard. (oh you can let the new people know, the harder we work together- the more we get out of therapy).

I am also happy to report that I am feeling less vunerable, stronger, and less activated. But I have a question. I still can't cry in therapy. Is that a bad sign? When we do the hard work in therapy - I usually cry by myself in between sessions.

Trusting has always been an issue with me, but I don't think this is a lack of trust or attunement with the therapist, but rather being activated when doing the tough stuff. I then seem to process and feel stuff afterwards. That is just how it works for me.

Another question I have - If I stop therapy, will I go back to being the person I once was, or do the postitve changes stick?

Thanks for your terrific site.

Helen

Hi Helen, nice to hear back from you and to hear of your wonderful progress. It's true eh, the more we put into it, the more we get out of it. Sounds like this plan is working well for you.

You mentioned the difficulty you have in crying in front of your therapist. I think you pegged it right with the idea that trusting is hard. However, I wonder if it's not that you don't trust your therapist, maybe you're learning to trust yourself? Cause as you approach that tearful place, you're also learning that you'll be okay. It's just possible you haven't arrived there yet.

In time, I suspect you will be able to cry in front of your therapist. Maybe some time before - if not already - you'll find it easier to cry over movies with a friend or partner. Then it will grow from there. That's how it was for me when I started to allow the tears.

I'm glad you asked about keeping the positive changes once you finish with therapy. I think many people ask themselves the same question. Positive changes - changes that arise from the inside out - tend to stick unless a bad event pulls you back into an earlier place. However, my view is that it's like understanding that 1 + 1 is 2. It's pretty hard to lose that learning.

Neuroscience suggests that old neuropathways remain. That is, our old patterns remain in the brain. However, they're like cobwebs and with disuse the probability increases that they won't be fired up again.

Even when we regress in the face of unexpected bad events, if there's enough resiliency in the nervous system, we can regain what we lost in a much faster time. This is particularly the case when the probability exists of better regulated pathways being fired up.

In other words, the new neuropathways you're developing in therapy and are using today are improving your odds that they will be used in future.

All the best Helen,

Shrinklady

i am suffering from depression and anxiety and its horrible , i am waiting to see a therapist , i have been through so much trauma these last ten years , long story , been reading on your site the last ten minutes and all i can do is cry , everyday you hope to wake up and feel better , but the dark days outway the better days and today is a dark day , i feel hurt and sadness all the time , through things i have done myself and boy am i being punished.

lynn (Cambridgeshire, uk)

Hi Lynn, I'm so pleased to hear you say, you're gonna be seeing a therapist. There is a way out and in time, as you continue your work, I believe you will find new meaning in your life.

I'd like to respond to one thing that you alluded to. You suggested that you have done some things that have hurt you and that now you feel you're being punished for it. I'd encourage you to veer away from looking at your current state as "punishment".

While, we are all responsible for our lives, being "asleep" during parts of our life, is not something that's easily avoided even with the best of intentions. And during those times, despite your efforts, you can find yourself doing things that you later regret.

That was certainly the case for myself. I know looking back I never attended to the things that would have helped me and so, in the end, I had a harder time of it because of that. Nonetheless, even these experiences gave something back to me. They taught me about myself.

Sometimes it's not always easy to understand our own motivations. I try to impress upon my clients that many of our behaviours are learned adaptations to traumatic stressful events. You see, it's easier to push the anger and hurts onto oneself through destructive behaviours than it is to face the reality of being treated poorly or not loved for who we are.

And this is what you need to remind yourself. You did get what you needed to do to survive.

Lynn, although it's certainly not always easy to see this at the time, sad states are potential healing moments. The healing comes when we are able to resource ourselves through it. Sometimes this comes from the care and love of another. However, sometimes we cannot even tolerate that much. So, our resources must be much smaller. You go with what works.

I watched Grease three times when it first came out years ago. There was something in that movie that helped me heal. It was what I needed. A therapist might have been an even better idea but I was "on the road" (both metaphorically and physically) at that time in my life.

And this is what I recommend to you. Find a therapist that's attuned to you.

I sincerely hope you find one that can be there in a way that you need and that helps you heal.

All the best,

Shrinklady

it's been about a month that i've been having mixed emotions and i dont know how to control them. i am a highschool student and i have never felt so low and angry. i gained 5 more pounds and i am really hungry and i have a hard time to sleep. i scare my friends and now teachers are starting to ask me if im ok. am i ok.. i feel so alone...i have also been having mood swings, is that normal?

I dont know what to do, i've been having suicidal thoughts too and i dont know what to do. i've been feel tired and empty. what should i do...

alison (Ontario, canada)

Hello Alison I'm sorry that you're feeling so alone. I can so resonate with mixed emotions and how you feel with those around you.

Let me explain a couple things that might help you understand what's going on for you. When we're feeling so low and angry, the nervous system is shooting outside the optimal window of functioning. So one minute, we're hyper, the next we're crashing. (See the biphasic response for more information.)

Coping through eating is a way many folks use for comforting the nervous system. Yet - as you likely discovered - to no avail.

When we're as agitated as you describe, the brain is essentially in survival mode and we're feeling totally alone. The end result is that reaching out at a time like this can feel almost impossible. Yet, it is the best thing we can do for ourselves.

Alison, you have the potential for an expansive life ahead of you. Getting help now can free you from suffering and set you on a course for healing. It's your birthright.

It's clear to me that you would benefit from the care and guidance of a sensitive, grounded therapist. You needn't suffer in silence.

Take good care,

Shrinklady

I have been looking at your website and found it so helpfull. When do lots of bad life events and how I feel about them become depression?

I have had quite a few extraordinary things happen through life but have dealt well with them. Unfortunately life events have again tested my ability to deal with them I now find myself tired all the time mostly unhappy and to be honest just desparing at times.

I have always been a very happy balanced person ready to help others and I now feel exhausted empty and not sure if that's normal or depression! Thanks at least I don't feel silly about it but I do need to seek help.

TH(Essex, United Kingdom)

Hi TH, the sad thing is that we often don't know we're maxed out until symptoms show up. And when they do, we don't know how we got to where we're at. It just doesn't make logical sense. And that's the conundrum.

One of the messages that I'd like you to take home TH, is that it is so easy for us to consider that we are doing well. And for most part, we are. Yet, at the same time, something may be brewing unconsciously, comprising our life energy.

Luckily, the emotional brain provides us with some answers. I find it useful to think of it metaphorically...

Imagine we have a container inside, one collecting the negative aftereffects of extraordinary life experiences. For the most part, we're often not aware that the container is getting full until we fall into symptoms such as exhaustion and feeling empty.

(By the way, feeling empty is a form of dissociation. It's a way we disconnect from the charge underlying our conscious experiences. It's survival based.)

We notice it when the container tips and symptoms emerge. Often we're confused and in this state we lose touch with those resources that give us those happy, balanced feelings.

I hope you have considered therapy TH. It's been both my clinical and personal experience that therapy can help you empty the container and reembrace your joy.

I hope that clears up some things for you,

Shrinklady

i cant even begin to imagine whats going on in my life. i have no one to talk too. Well at least i dont want to worry the few pople i have in my life. i feel so scared and alone. i have always been a very strong individual. now i feel more nothing less than like a wet little kitten.

Theresa (Gardena, California, USA)

Hi Theresa, sorry to hear how you're doing. Sometimes when we go to these places of suffering it seems like there are no options. Yet, there are.

I wish you all the best,

Shrinklady

I haven't cried in so long, I don't know how. Presently, I don't feel anything. I am so numb to all my emotions. In certain situations I realize that I should feel this way or that so I just fake it. I don't really feel anything. I am trying so hard, but I feel totally lost in the emotions department.

Kats(Ontario, Canada)

Hello Kats, first let me say, it's been wonderful to see your participation in the Counseling Psych Cafe. I hope you're feeling supported by the folks there.

Numbing can sometimes occur when we have emotional outbursts such as crying. Generally, tears are a good thing especially deep, soulful crying.

If our crying takes us outside our window of tolerance however, it can over charge the nervous system. The result is a dissociative numbing to being flooded. It's like a part of us is shutting down to contain the charge.

In this state, it's hard to feel much of anything. There's no room. Fortunately, unless this has been a chronic state for years, the numbing is temporary.

I appreciate how hard this must be for you particularly during the holiday season. Meeting old friends and family and being in a state that's not really conducive to "being joyful" can be challenging to say the least.

Take care,

Shrinklady

Hi Shrinklady, thank you. You gave a really clear explanation. I did try the exercise on the Discharge page. It seems that I had more difficulty doing the breathing in part. I'm hoping more practice will help?

I've heard breath is related to "life" so I was thinking maybe deep breathing and good breathing helps you to also live life more deeply and fully and the psychological state on that will also change. What do you think?

I guess singing or acting, writing, drawing can all be forms of discharge too. Although I've always wondered if the emotions you use in acting stay locked within your body/nervous system, which wouldn't be good or it is actually discharged?

Do you have any recommendations on where I can read more about discharges? I find it very interesting when you explain how sighs are a catch-up maneuvre. And how the signs lets go of carbon dioxide built up within the body. I never thought of it that way It's quite hard or I don't know where to find such information normally. Thank you again for your lovely article, I hope there will be more to read.

Hi JC, I'll post this one in the Discharge article and put it on the list for the next response I do.

Shrinklady

I can REALLY resonate with this!! Thank you!! It's something I'll keep looking back at from time to time.

Would sighs (sighing) also be a form of discharge?

JC

Hi JC, glad you like the article. Yes, sighs are a form of discharge. Sighs are like "catch-up" maneuvres. For instance, when we've been shallow breathing for a while and the nervous system hasn't let go sufficiently, sighs allow built up carbon dioxide to leave the body.

If you haven't already done the exercise on the Discharge article, you might try it and notice if you find one or the other hard to do. Some folks have trouble 'breathing in' and others 'breathing out'. For a healthy nervous system a balance between the two is optimal.

Shrinklady

I am so glad to come across this site. To me, it is not an accident as just opened my computer and found myself in the site. Everything stated is relevant to me. I am 43 years not and as a matter of fact I found it so difficult to cry especially in the presence of others even when tears were on the surface.

I was raised to know that crying is a weakness. For 21 years of marriage, my husband or my children has never seen my tears. When I am in circumstances that forces me to cry I hold back. The last 7 years I have gone through a stressful time of moving from one country to another with a husband and 4 children. We went through stressful time followed by separation. I never cried before my children or anybody. This has resulted to anxiety.

This site has brought me insight that holding back is dangerous. I am a born again christian. I cry in the presence of the Lord. The Lord has been with me and kept me and my children safe. I know that one of the God's promise if healing and health and that's what I am claiming. Soon I'm gonna write back with a testimony.

Thank you for being so helpful. I pray that God will give you more understanding as you pour to others.

NB. if anyone there has not let Jesus Christ in their hearts please do as quickly as possible as we are nearly to the end of time. Jesus Christ is coming soon. Please look for a bible based church and get help. Thank you.

Irene (UK)

Thank you for your warm sentiments. I'm glad to hear that you are learning to allow your tears. It sounds as if you are quite aware of how scary they can feel. You might find it useful to remember, given your history, it's okay to take baby steps...this is what my therapist reminds me in my own work.

This is one of the things that we learn in therapy. We learn, in the presence of another, that nothing bad will happen when we cry...in fact, over time you will learn that it can bring us closer.

You may find that as you "learn" to cry, your heart begins to expand in ways you didn't anticipate...that's been my own personal experience and I would wish the same for you.

I wish all the best,

Shrinklady

...because it's all about connection.

I am thankful for finding this site on a search engine. I find this site very interesting. It really describes me right now.

I think I have been depressed since I was 9 years old. I'm 21 now, so it's been for a long time. Whenever I think I'm not depressed anymore, something pulls me back in. I am so tired of being depressed that I searched for counseling online.

I'm intrigued that someone can know their own mind so well, not to mention, others minds. I find myself in tears a lot but only when I'm alone. I felt sorry for myself then but now I know that it can be a good thing to cry, it could mean that I'm on my way to recovering.

Thank you for helping me help myself.

Diana (Burlington, United States)

Thank-you Diana for sharing this. It's good to hear you've started your therapy journey...and being so young, should give you a good start in life.

I really wish I had started therapy when I was younger. Online counseling is a great beginning. I wish they had it when I was younger...I might have started sooner because it feels easier to start with...and maybe avoided some of my wrong turns!

All the best,
Shrinklady

I think I have built up so much pain over the years that now, almost every time I go to to therapy, I cry. It's almost like I can't turn it off!

My therapist says I'm so emotional, and had me put on meds. I don't feel much different except that I'm not as emotional. I think I know the difference between emotions and feelings but I'm not quite sure. I hope I can acquire at least some emotional intelligence so I can make it through the rest of my life with out falling apart. (I hope this comment made sense)

Jeff (Willis, Michigan, USA)

Sorry Jeff, to hear how it's going. It made total sense what you were saying. I've had clients in the past that were very tearful. I often had the sense it was about grief although they never could identify anything they were grieving about. I've explained that this is normal because grief can arise from early experiences when we didn't have the kind of memory that lends itself to easy recall.

I've also learned that the best way to approach tears like this is to help clients resource themselves somatically, that is, through their bodies. I have them experience the impulse of where the tears start and then have them experience just a little. Over time they seem to be able to manage their tears better. It does take time however.

There's one thing you might take heart in knowing...in feeling the emotions as you are, your nervous system is actually "learning" something important. It's learning how to manage sadness and grief.

You see, we can't be open to connection with others and the world around us if our heart is too closed. However, once, you move beyond this period, you may benefit in ways you never experienced before.

Best wishes on your journey,

Shrinklady

PS. Excuse the rant Jeff. I was sorry to hear your therapist suggested medication. In my view therapy is the way to avoid medication. Good therapy is about the therapist being emotionally available. It's about giving you the tools to move through the pain so that you're healing. In my view, capping off emotions derails your healing journey.