We all cry when we are hurt or maybe some people hold their emotions inside but anyhow we all have cried a few times in life. Crying is often misunderstood as weakness but it is our body’s way to release those overwhelming feelings. To cry when hurt is okay.
Ever wondered why it sometimes physically hurt when we cry. There’s a pain like feeling somewhere near the heart, heaviness in the chest, tense throat as if there’s a stone in there.
Emotions like grief, rejection, loneliness is processed in the regions of the brain which handle physical pain. The brain does not sharply differentiate these sensations so even if it is emotional pain and not physical pain, brain tends to create similar sense of discomfort as in physical pain.
Hormones amplify these sensations. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline increase sensitivity to pain. Emotional attachment can also involve chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine. So when you’re emotionally hurt, the withdrawal of these feelings can literally feel painful.
Well all that aside, what if that pain is something actually wrong with your body?
Thoughtful and emotionally intelligent piece it explains the science behind emotional pain in a simple, relatable way. The connection between feelings and physical sensations is well described. Just minor grammar tweaks needed, but overall engaging and reflective, especially with the ending question.
I feel this happens more in people who suppress their emotions, especially those who aren’t very expressive and tend to fake how they feel. When emotions are held in for a long time, the stress doesn’t really go away, it just stays in the body. So when it finally comes out, the reaction feels much more intense, sometimes even physically painful, because all that tension was built up over time.
Suppressing emotions for very long time and not able to open up and speak about it never allows us to feel light, suppressed emotions carries burden in our heart and comes out as physical pain.
People think that cry shows your weakness but it releases what is pilled up inside you . Weight of emotions that need to be release. Crying not always associated with physical pain . It’s may be emotional cry which can lead to physical symptoms like chest tightness.
True, this happens many times when you are crying. It gets really hard to cry, like something is stopping you.
Maybe because you have suppressed your emotion so much that now, when they are trying to get out, it becomes too hard for those emotions to find the way out. It creates a feeling like there is a heavy stone in your heart, deep pain, and something like that.
Really good post! It reminds us that one should not suppress their emotion. Crying sometimes is not bad; it cleanses your mind and heart.
Emotional pain can feel just as physical…….we’ve all felt that heaviness or tightness at some point.
But at the same time, not everything should be thought as “just emotional.” Listening to your body matters.
Knowing when to pause and when to check deeper…..that’s important.