Stay Proactive
The demands of modern life can outpace our nervous system's available resources. When our bodies need extra support, staying proactive with our crying practice can help prevent overwhelm and crisis. When is proactive crying helpful?
Chronically stressful conditions
What happens when we face a nearly constant demand for resilience? What if the space needed for rest and renewal isn't readily available? In the face of constant pressure, our minds and bodies need access to pathways for real-time relief. Mindful crying offers the release that our nervous systems need to continue supporting our mental and physical health.
During or after a traumatic event
The body and mind change in various ways in response to trauma. We can experience anything from overwhelm to total disconnection. A mindful crying practice can bring feelings of peace to the process of navigating traumatic experiences, especially alongside psychotherapeutic work and trauma-informed coaching. The more we recognize the emotional and regulatory value of emotional tears, the more we can address outmoded cultural stigmas that keep individuals and groups from the healing every human being deserves.
When feeling acute anxiety or stress
Anxiety and stress come in all shapes and sizes, from general feelings of nervousness to full-blown panic. Anxious feelings are a compelling reason to consider a mindful crying practice. Mindful crying can locate feelings that are under your radar and draining your resources, and offer you real-time relief. Sometimes, simply acknowledging the feelings underlying the anxiety or stress is enough to create a noticeable increase in your available energy and optimism.
When feeling frustrated or angry
Like anxiety, feelings of frustration, agitation and anger can persist enough to materially reduce your quality of life. Sometimes, they can become pronounced enough to impact your daily experience at home and at work. Mindful crying can restore much-needed balance to the nervous system, and promote the curiosity that can shed light on the origin of unpleasant feelings and/or behaviors. This can be extremely helpful when it's time to explore the reasons for your frustration and start locating effective solutions.
Any time the stakes are high
Often, we face choices and decisions with wide-ranging benefits and drawbacks. We can find ourselves making decisions with potential to be life-changing. When our tasks require sustained and increasing focus, attention, and problem-solving, taking time out for mindful crying can offer feelings of renewal that increase your brain’s bandwidth. Crying mindfully is a helpful pathway to understand how you “feel” about your choices as well as what you “think” about them.