Crying is a way of expressing one’s feelings. Everybody, ranging from babies to elderlies, cry at some point or the other. Studies have proven that crying benefits both the body and the mind and that is the reason why it is considered to have mood-boosting powers.
Here we list some of the advantages of crying.
Generates empathy: Crying is an attachment behaviour with social or interpersonal benefits. This means that it helps generate empathy from people around help building a support structure.
Assists sleep: Crying releases chemicals like Oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals are self-soothing and help relieve pain and get better sleep.
Relieves stress: Venting out through crying helps reduce the stress hormones, which in turn, help relieve stress.
Helps regain emotional balance: Crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This helps a person relax by reducing their distress, regulating their emotions, and controlling mood swings, thereby helping them regain their emotional balance.
Acts as a mood enhancer: Once the stress is relieved or the pain is alleviated, the mood enhances. Therefore, crying is also viewed as a mood enhancer.
Do you need to seek help?
Though crying at times is acceptable, if one finds themselves crying continuously, they need to seek help. Frequent, uncontrolled, and crying for no apparent reason is an indicator of depression. In fact, if crying is accompanied by other symptoms of depression, like feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, disturbed eating or sleeping patterns, and losing interest in activities once enjoyed, then one needs to seek help immediately.
Depression is the most common mental health disorder found among Americans with more than 7 percent of the population having experienced one major depressive episode in the past year. It is much more than just feeling low or sad. It is a diagnosable mood disorder leading to long-term stress, chronic fatigue, and persistent low mood. If left untreated, depression can affect one’s performance at work or school, relationships, social circle, and even put an individual’s life at risk.
Depression can be treated
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally more than 264 million adults suffer from depression. It is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. The good news is that depression is a highly treatable mental health disorder. It can be treated with a combination of medicine management, alternative therapies, and behavioral therapies. Global studies have helped evolve effective evidence-based treatment modalities to treat depression.
If you or a loved one are suffering from depression or any other mental health disorder, get in touch with Mind Health Network. We partner with various depression treatment facilities offering research-backed management and recovery for depression and other mental health disorders. Call our 24/7 depression treatment helpline or chat online with a representative to learn more about depression and the latest techniques used to treat it.