Crying ~ Helps?

from Pinterest

"Most people believe that crying will make them feel better, but in many instances, it doesn't, a team of psychologists in the United States and the Netherlands have found.  The researchers asked 97 women keep diaries about their crying and mood for about two months.  The majority of the women - 60 percent - reported feeling the same after they cried as before, and 9 percent felt worse.  Nor surprisingly, those who were prone to negative moods shed tears the most, and those with frequently shifting moods felt like crying more than others.  In these cases, weepy episodes generally led to a worse mood and seemed to produce no benefit, the psychologists say.  Interestlingly, the 30 percent of women who did have a cathartic cry tended to weep more intensely - big sobs that did not necessarily last long - and they were more likely to be with one other person while they cried.  "Don't expect crying by itself to bring relief," says study coauthor Jonathan Rottenberg, associate professor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.  "Crying can be helpful if it spurs you to get help from a supportive person." "Mood News - A Good Cry," Allure Magazine, November 2011.

I rarely cry but when I do it's usually for one of two reasons ~ 1) HM time; 2) I've reached my limit on something stressing me or ticking me off.

When I cry ~ I think things do actually get worse for me ~ I then think about everything bothering me and feel miserable.  I then blow everything out of proportion in my mind or aloud (the worst) then feel completely miserable inside the next day ~ usually about something new has replaced the real reason I cried as "what's bothering me."

Also, since I'm the person my friends normally go to with their problems I usually don't receive much advice in return from them since I'm the person they go to for advice.  However, my mom can normally make me feel better ~ I think I get my advice skills from her ~ however normally she will start the conversation with...are you on your period?

What about you...how often do you cry?  Do you feel better afterwards?  Who do you confide in to feel better?