LINDSEY FIALA | Online Editor

Crying is a natural reaction to many emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, grief and countless others. So why does crying have such a bad rep?

As an emotional, stressed college student, I find myself crying quite often. When I talk about this to others, they think it is strange to cry so much.

For me, crying is a healthy way to release emotions that don’t have anywhere else to go. By crying, I allow myself to feel my emotions rather than letting them build up.

Research by Dr. William H. Frey II shows that crying not only relieves stress and shows that you are human, it can also lower your blood pressure, remove toxins from your body and reduce the body’s manganese levels, which is a mineral that affects your mood.

I think one of the main reasons people don’t cry, or at least don’t admit they cry, is because they are afraid of sounding weak.

A good friend of mine recently told me that crying is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength, and I could not agree more with that statement.

When people cry, it generally means they are going through something tough in their lives. If they are crying and talking about what is happening with them, that is pure strength.

I know many people who have a hard time opening up about their feelings, so when they do, I only see them as strong people who are determined to make it through whatever they are going through.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”30″]Crying just shows you are feeling something.
You are human.[/perfectpullquote]

Crying just shows you are feeling something. You are human. Even if crying isn’t for you, supporting others who do cry is very important.

In a study by Journal of Research in Personality in 2011, research found that crying was more likely to make people feel better when they had emotional support (such as a close friend nearby), if they were crying because of a positive event or if their crying led to a resolution or new understanding of the situation that led them to cry in the first place.

As someone who does cry, knowing I have someone there who will not shame me for crying immediately helps me feel better.

Crying should be just as accepted as laughing. Why should we force ourselves to hold back one emotion but not the other?

From a girl who completely supports crying, remember there will always be a shoulder for you to cry on.