The Importance of Crying When You Need To

Not crying prevents you from taking the opportunity to fix whatever it was that took your smile away. Some say that crying is a sign of weakness, but in reality, it's a sign of strength that will help you to better overcome your sadness.
The Importance of Crying When You Need To

Last update: 27 May, 2022

Some say crying when you need to is a sign of weakness, but it’s actually braver to cry and let your worries out than it is to hold in your tears.

Crying girl with a sheer fabric on top of her face

Not crying makes you feel brave and strong enough to keep in those tears that are trying to escape. Often, we think that turning our backs on the problem will solve it. However, that is the real problem.

When we’re little we cry over almost everything. If we fall down, we break down in tears. If someone hurts us, we’re not afraid to cry.

But as we grow up, these moments become much less common.


Many people consider crying something to be ashamed of. This is not just because it makes people around us feel uncomfortable, but because it says something about us.

Many think that crying makes you seem weak. They believe it makes you look like someone who doesn’t know how to control their emotions and who can’t keep it together. This line of thought is extremely harmful.

Not crying makes everything worse

Sad girl covering her face

Even if you manage to keep this physical reaction in, your soul is crying. It cries out for you to take the pain away.

Just like when we get hurt there is blood, when our heart is hurt, we cry. Avoiding it makes us close in everything that we need to let out.

Imagine that the person you loved most hurt you and keeps hurting you because you’re unable to say anything.

You sit quietly through disappointment after disappointment. Meanwhile, a battle that you don’t want to face is silently raging inside.

All that pain, those thoughts that have turned into a vicious cycle and those negative emotions that are drowning you will turn into something bad.

Sad girl covering her face

At first, your body will try to warn you with physical pain. A bad migraine, a stomachache, an annoying pain somewhere in your body…

Then you start to turn yourself off, as if you were a light. You turn into a gray person and all that suffering you tried to contain will seal itself off inside of you, never to come out.

It’s true there is still a way to turn this around, but it will be much harder if you get to this point. That’s why you must not wait so long.
Not crying is not good for you. Let out your tears and feel the relief they bring.

Recognize and externalize your feelings

Sad woman looking out to the horizon

Emotions, positive and negative alike, are necessary. We have no reason to get even more upset about the fact that we’re sad. This emotion allows us to see the true value of its opposite: happiness.

We make a mistake by not crying, but even more so by not recognizing our emotions.

We want to avoid experiencing these feelings so badly that we try to deny them. Isn’t it true that when something makes you feel happy you relive it in your mind, and you’re even more aware of it? Why not do that with the negative to let it truly escape?

Our darkest emotions try to warn us that we’re not doing things right and that the people around us are not the right people or that this is not the way we should be reacting. However, it’s important to keep in mind that pent-up emotions can have physical consequences.

However, if we prefer to cover our eyes and put everything we’re feeling into a lock box deep inside of us, there’s no possibility for emotional catharsis.
This is a type of self-destruction.

Things are really much easier and much simpler than that. We’re the ones making it difficult with our untrue beliefs that aren’t doing us any good.

It’s essential to observe our emotions, whether they make us feel good or bad, and to express them. You can do this by talking, crying, screaming, running…Whatever you want, but get it out.

The best pain reliever

Woman crying on her bed

Not crying prevents you from discovering the best pain reliever for all kinds of suffering. Pills aren’t necessary, nor is any other type of medicine you may have for aches and pains.

Tears allow the stress we keep in to be released. This makes us feel so much better.

It doesn’t matter how hard the situation you’re facing is. Whatever it is, cry. Get out all the frustration, resentment, anger, anxiety, tormenting thoughts… Let it flow!

After crying long and hard without holding back, you’ll realize that it feels like you just ran a marathon.

You will be worn out, but finally calm. Your face will be red and your eyes swollen, but your soul will be at peace.
That well being will help you to start over and to make good decisions and move forward.

Not crying prevents you from taking the opportunity to fix whatever it was that took your smile away.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.



This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.