The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

Crying. Some might think of crying as a sign of weakness; I think of crying as a way to relieve all the stress you have.

In the time we are in, we have nowhere to go. We are all just ticking timebombs in our houses, ready to explode at any moment with so much pent-up emotion inside and nowhere to display it.

Your siblings or kids constantly run around screaming as if the world is ending with no sign of them calming down. You feel as if the next thing that happens to you that day will do it; it will push you over the edge into a state of panic.

You try to go about your day as normally as possible, but it is hard. It is tough because it is not normal. You feel trapped. You feel broken.

Crying isn’t bad and actually releases neurochemicals that help you, so you feel better. Crying, for me, is so I can be in control again, and I think that’s the case for a lot of people.

With so much going through our heads, we have no control of our lives at a moment of pain or frustration because, quite frankly, we can’t think straight. We have to have a moment for ourselves. We need to stop worrying about everybody else for one second and just take care of us.

I start up this article again after summer, and, let me tell you, it was rough. I did a lot of crying, which is great because I had not cried for months.  Yes, I did not take my own advice from my own story.

I’ve had much time to self reflect, and what I learned was great–it helped me to reach out for help.

Yes, you too can get help but only when you let your guard down for a second, and I know it’s hard, but possible, just like feeling happy again is possible.

I hate crying. Like so much for me nowadays, it’s a sign of weakness, a sign of loss of control. It just doesn’t feel right. Well, that’s me, but crying is not the only thing that releases emotion. For me, it’s drawing or playing with my dog.

Whatever it is for you, just do it because it will make you happy. Practicing safe, effective emotion-release skills (AKA coping skills) is better than doing unhealthy, unsafe release skills like inflicting harm upon yourself or others, so let’s not do that.

I can give you some effective, harm-free skills to use:

1st: Positive self talk. This can help boost self esteem. It’s hard for others and easy for some, but it works.

2nd: Recognizing harmful or distorted thoughts. If you recognize the bad thoughts, you can use things to help minimize them.

3rd: Talk it out. This is key to getting your feelings out effectively. You don’t even have to talk with a person unless you want input. Just get those thoughts out.

4th, and finally: Take some time for yourself, draw yourself a bath, or order dinner. You deserve it 🙂