“It’s alright to cry. Crying gets the sad out of you.” If you know those lyrics, hello, child of the 1970s. Rosey Grier sang those words in a song from “Free to Be You and Me” (which I think should be remade with today’s stars, but that’s another post). I’ve been thinking about that song a lot lately- if you aren’t familiar with it, look it up. I guarantee that you will relate to its message.
A few years ago I went through a really rough time and I cried. A lot. I mean A LOT. I was depressed and sad, and that sadness rolled out of my eyes- pretty much every day and all times throughout the day. Thankfully, I sought professional help, and my psychiatrist prescribed antidepressants. It took some time to get the dosage of my medication right and deal with my issues in therapy, but eventually I stopped crying. And I do mean stopped.
I no longer cried. At all. I didn’t cry at my daughter’s wedding. I didn’t cry when she told me I was going to be a grandmother. I didn’t cry when watching Hallmark movies. Are you getting the picture? This girl’s tear ducts were dry.
At that point in my life, I was no longer depressed or sad. I was feeling happier than I had in a long time, and I really wanted to express those feelings of happiness and feelings of sadness, even if that involved crying. It really bothered me that I couldn’t cry. It just didn’t feel right to not be able to shed a tear. After consulting my psychiatrist, I decided to stop taking that medication.
It took about a month to totally get the antidepressants out of my system- just in time for me to cry tears of happiness when my triplet grandsons were born in April. It was great to feel those tears running down my cheeks.
Since then I have cried tears of happiness and tears of sadness. Lately I have found myself crying more than I’d like. I often cry when I hold my grandsons and think about how lucky we are that they are so happy and healthy. I don’t mind those tears. However, I have been struggling with other issues that have resulted in some unwelcomed tears. My son is studying in London for the semester, and I miss him so very much. Even as I type this, my eyes are welling up. He is having a truly amazing experience, and I am so proud of him; but that doesn’t stop me from missing him like crazy. Also, I do have bouts of anxiety and loneliness that leave me feeling sad. There are times when being single and living alone is not quite as fun as it may sound. There is nothing like a fifty-three year old divorcee crying on her couch surrounded by her six cats! (Hee-hee!)
For a brief moment, I thought about going back on my antidepressant. My recent crying jags have been rough. However, I keep remembering how much I didn’t enjoy my emotions being stifled. Maybe sometimes a good cry is needed. In Rosey’s words- “It’s alright to cry- It might just make you feel better.”
If you are interested in the lyrics to “It’s Alright to Cry”, visit this site. (1) it’s alright to cry lyrics – Search (bing.com)
