I am a teenage girl and I am going through what adolescents usually go through, however I am strong emotionally, so things are a bit easier for me. I have a love/hate relationship with my parents, but I love my little brother. I have a good social life as well. I rarely cry, it only happens when someone really close hurts me. However sometimes I start crying without any reason and it lasts for a long time and I can’t stop myself from crying. Could you please explain why does it happen? Maisha
Thank you for your question Maisha. Adolescences is a period of lots of transitions and firsts. During this time due to hormones, brain changes and life events many teenagers experience a wide range of emotions. Sometimes you may feel disconnected from these emotions especially if they are intense. It may help you to write down what has happened. This can help you connect with your underlying emotions and assist you to understand why you are crying. Emotions can last for a long time after an event so it may be that the crying is triggered by an event which upset you hours or even days before. If you are trying to be strong and keep it together possibly you are not acknowledging your underlying feelings.
Crying is an important part of many emotions and we cry when we are very sad or very happy. Humans are the only animals to cry. Crying serves to express emotion and communicate to others. There was some really interesting research recently which examined the physiological changes that occur with crying. This research found that heart rate decelerates just before you cry and returns to baseline during the first crying period. This suggested that crying may unconsciously help you soothe your emotions by regulating your heart rate. My advice would be if you feel like crying you allow yourself to cry as this will help you self-soothe and feel better even if you are unsure as to why you need to cry.
Remember adolescences is a time when many brain changes occur and your brain is trimming unnecessary connections to ensure it works as efficiently as possible. Sometimes when we are trying to be strong it can lead to us suppressing our own feelings. It is important you have someone you can talk to about these types of concerns. I would trying talking to someone in your family or at your school. If you can’t find someone to talk to or you are still concerned about your crying talking to a Psychologist may be able to help you better understand your feelings.
