During elementary school, my best friend at the time would always consider herself sensitive, and at that time, I never really knew what that word meant.
Did she just cry a lot?
Did things easily offend her?
I didn’t know.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, sensitive (adj) is defined as being “easily upset by the things people say or do, or causing people to be upset, embarrassed, or angry.”
It didn’t take me until college to realize that I was also a sensitive person. I always had been, and probably always will be – particularly at the easily upset and crying part.
Back then, I would witness adults telling their kids to stop crying, that it’s okay, and they’d say “Look! All these people are looking at you cry” among other guilt-trip reactions. So, naturally, I thought the same will happen if I ever see my own kids cry.
It wasn’t until I watched a YouTube video wherein a mom mentions how she allows her kids to cry because that’s how they essentially let out their emotions. Telling her kids to stop crying, especially when they’re out in public, signifies that it’s not okay to cry at all and that they’d get in trouble or embarrassed if they do otherwise.
Now, I may not have kids of my own, nor am I saying that these are facts and that everyone should follow any form of parenting style.
I just find it eye-opening, and I understand why some parents choose to let their kids cry. Or why adults hide their tears in public or avoid crying entirely.
I personally do not find crying as a sign of weakness.
Crying is a form of expression that stems from human emotions, which should be expressed freely.
I cry when I see others cry (in real life and in movies).
I cry when bad things happen.
I cry when great things happen.
I cry when I daydream.
I cry. A LOT.
But do you see me throwing in the towel? No.
I’m still here working hard on achieving my goals because I choose to keep moving forward.
I cry because I feel for others.
I cry because I’m human.
I cry because I’m grateful.
I cry because I heal quicker than being angry.
Crying doesn’t mean you’re weak.
In my opinion, crying signifies that we're strong enough to let go of perfectionism.
We don’t cry because we don’t want empathy from others.
We don’t cry because we don’t want to appear weak.
We don’t cry because we don’t want to be embarrassed.
We don’t cry because we don’t want the attention on us.
We don’t cry because we find it a waste of time.
We don’t cry because we look ugly when we do.
We have to tell ourselves that IT’S OKAY TO CRY.
It’s okay to control your tears in a public setting, just don’t keep them locked up tight when they’re wanting to be released.
I know this post may not apply to everyone, and you may have differing opinions about crying, and that’s perfectly okay.
I just wanted to share my own opinions about this special human emotion because it’s something that has personally affected me growing up.
And I’m still trying to understand why, out of all the emotions humans express…
We choose to hide our tears the most.
