Most of my life I’ve been accused of being too sensitive. I’ve always cried very easily, which prompted a lot of well-meaning people to tell me I needed to toughen up, thicken my skin, or the world would chew me up. I’m not talking about tears associated with physical pain or emotional trauma. This is about the out of nowhere tears that generally make others uncomfortable. For years, that left me feeling embarrassed and reclusive. I couldn’t figure out how to control it, so my only option was to try to hide my apparent weakness.
Tears make the average person nervous because they automatically assume something is wrong. Sometimes it’s just easier for them to label a person as weak or too sensitive and walk away, rather than embrace and support a process they don’t understand. This is especially true if the tears aren’t stemming from one of the more obvious reasons I mentioned earlier.
While there are any number of reasons for tears, one I have found to be very powerful is that they are a full-body admission that there are no words for what I’m witnessing or experiencing. Most people get uncomfortable when they can’t find words to describe something. Words give us a sense of control. The more descriptive we can be, the more in control we feel. I’ve found being able to simply experience something without having to describe and label it is quite a blessing.
Another benefit of tears are their cleansing properties. Deep cleansing of the soul and release of old emotions stored in the body. Allowing yourself to tap into the deepest rivers of tears is a purging experience like no other. Most of the time we don’t realize how our bodies store the emotions we’ve neglected for years. Releasing this old buildup lightens and brightens the energy body, which helps increase positive emotions.
A third benefit worth mentioning is the profound power of empathy. Souls don’t need the burden of the right words getting in the way. Similar to why simple smiles are so powerful, tears can be a recognition of understanding without the need to trip over vocabulary.
It's been my experience that tears are a portal to the deepest parts of myself. Whether it is to experience the indefinable, cleanse and release, or empathize, they have become an opportunity for growth and expansion.
Having spent a considerable amount of time in self-discovery in recent years, I’ve come to embrace the superpower of being too sensitive, and the cleansing tears that come with it. So, the next time you start to well up, I encourage you to embrace and explore what your tears may have to teach you.
Blessings on your journey!