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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Can crying be 'healthy' in order to relieve emotional stress?

    Related Topics
    Mental Health Stress Management
    I am a very emotional person and cry easily when frustrated or upset. A lot of my friends say it's good to let out a cry because it can relieve some of the stress inside of me. Is this true?
    • 2 answers
    • Brigitte Safrana
    • Renee Mill
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  • Brigitte Safrana

    Counsellor, Hypnotherapist

    I created Surfing The Blues and Surfing The Baby Blues Counselling & Hypnotherapy services in order to help individuals and couples restore balance in their … View Profile

    Crying is often cathartic and relieves some of the stress associated with a specific issue.  However it is important to be reasonnably clear about why we are crying.   to clarify this issuee makes the difference between giving a meaning to the suffering and suffering for the sake of it.

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  • Renee Mill

    Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist

    Empowering people is my passion and life work. I have been working as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice for over thirty years. I have … View Profile

    Having a good cry can be very healing when you are sad or grieving.

    However, crying in excess may indicate a problem. for example:

    • If you cry frequently over trivialities, then this may indicate low mood.
    • If you cry because you are frustrated, then this is not the ideal  way to handle frustration. There are more resilient, helpful ways that adults deal with frustrtion.
    • If you cry because  you are stressed, stress  management techniques are more appropriate.
    •  

    My recommendation is that you work on improving your ability to communicate more assertively. Moreover, that you  find alternate ways to handle frustration and setbacks. You could possibly do this  alone. If not, seek help from a health care professional.

    In the event that your crying is an indication of depression, you definitely need to visit your GP or a psychologist to be assessed and to obtain effective treatment. 

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