College Crisis: Sometimes You Just Need to Cry

Sometimes you just need a really good cry. And I mean a tears streaming, snot dripping, hyperventilating, Kim Kardashian-faced cry. The kind of cry that is so intense that you cannot stop until it’s gotten to the point that your tear ducts have dried up and you absolutely need a tissue. The cry that stems from the sadness in the deepest part of your heart and rips all the way through your soul, releasing a wave of emotions you never even knew you had. The cry that you would never want anyone to witness. Yes, that type of cry. That is the type of cry you need sometimes.

I recently had the most stressful, horrendous day of my college life. It was one of those days that absolutely nothing went my way. I had a to-do list the size of the Declaration of Independence, meetings up the wazoo, no money to buy lunch, failed two quizzes, had three boring classes, and everyone was just pissing me off. A bunch of other things sucked throughout the day and I was on the brink of disaster.

The bag of Tositos I had in my apartment was my light at the end of the tunnel. I was going to bury my sorrows in calories. But, of course, I got home and discovered my roommate had finished the bag the night before. That was my breaking point.

I cried. I cried so hard. The hardest, ugliest, most intense cry I have ever cried. And it felt great. It was at this exact break down moment that I let my emotions consume my entire body, and I had never felt so alive. This is when I discovered the benefits of a good ugly cry.

1. I felt so much better

The sadness and pressure I had built up in the middle of my chest was gone and I felt a wave of relief that everything was going to be okay. A five- minute cry made me feel so much better than anything else I had tried all day to cheer me up. I just needed a few minutes to let my emotions get the best of me.

2. It set a fire under my ass

I had my drive back and I was ready to continue on with my day. I hit my lowest point so the only way I could go from there was up. I blew my nose, changed my shirt, and fixed my raccoon style make-up and banged out all my homework in an hour.

3. I figured out my limits

I didn’t realize how much I was pushing myself. I was going and going non-stop and left no time to relax and calm down. I pushed myself until my absolute breaking point and now I know when I get flustered or stressed out to take at least an hour or even a few minutes to just sit down and do nothing. We all need to learn to do nothing and to let our brains take a break.

So when you get upset don’t be afraid to let your emotions win. Cry your face off. Cry on your couch, in your bed, on the floor, in the kitchen, in public. Watch a sad movie and cry. Listen to sad music and cry. Look at your grades and cry. Just cry. Take a moment, break down, and then pick yourself up and kick ass. It’s okay to be upset because you’ll feel so much better after. So let the tears fly!