Why Can't I Cry Anymore Mental Health
Has it ever occurred to you that you want to let go of your sorrows by crying a bit, but you can't? It happens to more people than you might think. And it is a common topic of discussion in internet forums.
So if you ask, "why can't I cry anymore” means any mental health issues? Well, this may. The most probable cause of this is the fact that you might have been crying for a long time. Due to this, your lacrimal gland is exhausted by continuously producing tears. Medical conditions such as dry eye syndrome (AKA Keratoconjunctivitis sicca) can also be responsible for this.
Aside from these, other factors can be responsible as well. Head down below to find out more.
Why Can't I Cry Anymore? (Mental Health Causes And Solutions)
Not being able to cry can be caused by both mental and physical causes and illnesses. For your convenience, we have listed the main causes below:
1. Exhaustion of tear gland:
Crying is a natural process that provides much-needed relief to the body whenever necessary. However, the body runs out of tears if a person cries for more than 2 hours straight.
Or, tears can also run out if you cry for multiple days. For instance, any sorrowful event has taken place in your life and you might have cried for the past few days. Due to this, you might have difficulty crying in the subsequent days.
Solution
Remember, the creation of tears in the body and its exhaustion is a completely natural process. So, give your body some time to recuperate and regenerate tears in the tear glands.
On the other hand, if you want to lighten up by crying over someone's shoulder, consider drinking a lot of fluid throughout your days. This will help your body regenerate tears and you'll be able to shed some soon.
2. Societal stigma:
Crying is often seen as an indication that a person's personality is weak. Because of this social stigma, many people are subconsciously hesitant to cry in front of people and even in solitude.
If you are also living in a society with this type of stigma, this might be playing a role in your inability to cry.
Solution:
You must understand that the facts behind this type of stigma are inherently incorrect. Strong people are the ones who dare to cry when they need to.
Therefore, convince yourself that you need to cry in order to stay strong in tough times. Plus, find someone who will understand your feelings and try to express your emotions in front of that particular person.
3. Gender stereotype and childhood abuse:
Two of the major factors that affect the crying behavior of human beings is gender stereotype and childhood abuse. In some cultures and societies, the male gender is always thought to be strong and brave.
Thus, people of this gender can't cry freely because it will show that men are weak.
On the other hand, childhood abuse is a fact that affects both men and women. When a child is physically abused at an early age, he/she develops a particular body mechanism to suppress anger/sorrow.
Consequently, when the child turns into a grown person, he/she suffers from difficulty in expressing sorrowful emotions and cannot cry when he/she needs to.
Solution:
As this is a cultural and mental problem, the solution for this is also cultural and mental.
If you have suffered from physical abuse in childhood, try to consult with someone who understands your pain. Consequently, you will be able to let go of your sorrows and emotions very easily.
Moreover, if you belong to the male gender, let go of any stereotypes that teach that men cannot cry. Remember, men, like any other human beings on earth, can and should cry when the situation demands so.
Therefore, try to express your emotions according to your needs regardless of what anyone thinks of you. This should help you cry when you need to cry.
4. Effect of medications:
If you are taking certain pills and medications for any particular health condition, it might interfere with the function of your tear gland. As a result, you might not be able to cry even when you need to.
The below-mentioned medications can cause your tear gland to stop generating tears:
- Birth control pills
- Blood pressure-related pills/ medications
- Antihistamines
- Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Antidepressants (tricyclic/ tetracycline)
Solution:
If your tear is being inhibited because of certain medications, you have to decide whether these medications are mandatory for you or not.
If you have the option to avoid taking these medications for one or two days, try to avoid them. This way, you can generate tears and cry for your emotional needs.
5. Dry weather/climate conditions:
Whether we want it or not, climate/weather always affects our livelihood. For instance, our body tries to store liquid when the climate/weather is extremely dry.
In cases like that, our body tries to prevent exuding liquids by urinating less frequently, producing less saliva, and producing fewer tears.
So, if you're having difficulty crying, you should check whether your climate condition is dry or not.
Solutions:
The solution for this cause is to relocate yourself from the harsh climate to some place where the climate is much more forgiving.
For instance, if you're living in a polar environment, you should try moving to temperate regions, even if it's for only a few days.
Locating in a new location can help you get rid of your suppressed emotions and you might be able to cry your heart out.
6. Aging (you're not young anymore):
Aging is another factor that has a mysterious effect on our crying behavior. As we get older, we tend to become more immune to crying. And, sometimes, it impacts us negatively.
Usually, people under the age of 40 can easily cry and let their emotions out when they need to. However, with people above 40 years of age, the activity of crying is not seen that frequently.
Therefore, if you are someone who's above 40, you should know that crying at this age is naturally more difficult. It's because, by the time you're above 40, your body has trained itself to withstand and suppress pain. Consequently, you are having difficulty exuding tears.
Solution:
The simple solution for this problem would be to talk to a therapist or a professional psychologist. Remember, no matter what your age is, you should be able to express sorrow and suffering.
And, since crying is the best way to get rid of sorrow, you must be able to cry even if you have to ask for professional help.
I Can't Cry Anymore, Is This Bad?
It's not physically harmful to not cry. However, its negative effect lies on the mental side. You should understand that crying is a natural process for the body to get rid of excessive pain and sorrow. By crying, the human body retains the ability to withstand all sorts of suffering.
If you cannot cry, you will be in mental turmoil because of not being able to let go of the pain. Therefore, not crying will have a severe negative effect on your mental health. This can also lead to hypertension, chronic depression, melancholia, and other mental disorders.
So, even if you can't, you should strive to make yourself cry no matter what. If you cannot do it alone, you should ask for professional help from therapists, psychiatrists, etc.
What Are The Benefits Of Crying?
As already mentioned, crying is a natural process of the human body. And it has several benefits as well. Crying will exhibit the following benefits in you:
- Crying gives you relief from negative emotions
- It lets you forget sorrowful memories
- Crying refreshes your brain to think anew
- It helps you sleep well in times of sorrow
- It lets you show your true feelings to others and yourself
- Crying releases endorphins, which is a painkiller hormone
- Crying calms your mind, lets you think more clearly, and lets you find solutions to your problems
How To Stimulate Crying When You Need To?
At this point, you already know how important it is to cry once in a while when you are sad. So, if you can't cry naturally, how to stimulate crying? Well, you can do the following steps:
1. Going to a person with shared memories:
Communicating with such a person who has a shared trauma or memory with you can help you release your pain. This might also help you cry and lighten up.
2. Finding a suitable place:
Sometimes it's hard to cry in front of others because of the fear of what others might think of you.
That's why, if you need to cry and lighten up your emotions, you need to find a quiet place where you can be in your own solitude. There, you can cry and refresh your brain.
3. Let go of stereotypes:
Stereotypes such as "men cannot cry" affects you mentally and intensifies your pain. Therefore, forget all the stereotypes that you heard and learn to embrace your emotions.
Once you embrace your emotions and yourself, you will not have much difficulty lightening yourself up by crying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now, let's get to know some of the frequently asked questions related to this topic:
Q: How long is it healthy to cry?
You can cry for as long as you want. No matter how long you cry, you can't be normally affected by crying if you can maintain proper hygiene.
That means if you wash your face once in a few hours of crying, you won't have any problem at all no matter how long you cry.
2. Is there any medical condition that causes people not to be able to cry?
Medical conditions such as Anhedonia and Melancholia can be responsible for not being able to cry.
If you are having difficulty crying for a long time, you should check whether you have this disorder or not. Remember, these medical conditions can be cured and you can go back to having a normal life with normal emotions.
Final Takeaway:
As you can see, crying in life is just as important as laughing. Therefore, if you cannot cry, you should not neglect this matter and strive to solve your mental difficulties.
If the problem arises because of physical and environmental causes, you should seek to treat yourself and change your surroundings.
This will help you experience emotions in a normal way and you should be able to cry more easily. Consequently, you will be able to let go of your sorrows more easily.
Meta: Need info on why you can't cry anymore? You've hit the right point. We've provided the most plausible reasons why people suffer from not being able to cry. Check it out.