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Don't be sad alone, cry with a friend.

Maybe you need to cry with a friend.
“Why would you want someone to see you cry instead of just crying alone?”

I always wondered about why we cry alone. Is it better to cry alone, or do we feel better when we cry in front of someone? There are only a few times I can think of where I was crying in front of someone, and having them there made me feel better than if I were alone.
I know this sounds crazy, and it has always sounded crazy.

Whenever I brought up this idea to different people, many of them couldn’t relate. It always feels like you need to hide those tears cause it’s embarrassing to expose yourself during one of your most vulnerable moments. Recently, I explained the idea of my thesis (on creating a space to cry) to my best friend. I had mentioned it before but hearing his reaction again, I was still taken aback. “Hearing other people cry would send shivers down my spine.”

I understood though. Sometimes it feels like you need to hide those tears, to keep them all to yourself. But let me tell you, there's something incredibly powerful about sharing your vulnerable moments with others. Let’s try to understand why crying with company might just be the emotional release you need.

Don't be sad alone, Cry with a Friend

There's something special about crying with your best friend. It takes a while to get to that point. They might be a friend who you haven’t shared your deepest moments with because you’ve been scared to open up to them, or maybe you’ve already had that time with them. In the end, I guarantee you’ll feel better and they’ll be honored to have seen you at both your best and your worst. Sharing tears with them can be incredibly cathartic.

Here's why:

  • Validation:

    When you cry with a close friend, they validate your feelings. Their presence says, "I see you, and your emotions are valid." I’ve caught myself doubting myself and my emotions a million times, but having someone to reassure you that you’re not crazy speaks volumes.
  • Comfort:

    A friend can offer a shoulder to cry on, literally. Physical comfort through a hug or simply sitting close can be incredibly soothing. Think about if you were on the other end. Would you rather have someone you care about suffer alone or be there for them, and make sure that they’re okay?
  • Understanding:

    Likely, you’ve already told them a lot of different things, so you don't have to explain everything. Maybe you’re even in that stage where you give each other the look when something happens and there’s no need for more explanation. They get it, and that understanding is priceless.

Research from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships shows that social support during times of stress can significantly reduce negative emotions. So next time you feel those tears coming, you don’t need to hide anymore. Maybe, go somewhere quiet and comfortable, and give them a call. Tell them the full story. They’ll tell you that it’s all okay. And soon after, you’ll feel better again. Much better than if you had to cry alone.

The Magic of Three: Small Group Support

Now, what if you weren’t just crying in front of one other person?

This seems even crazier, but what if you were sitting with two other friends and you all ended up crying? You could have been sharing something that you could all actually relate to! There’s tons of occurrences in this world, and sometimes, we share a lot of the same traumas. Growing up as an immigrant, it’s almost a universal feeling that your parents want the best for you. In turn, that puts a crazy amount of stress over your head. That’s a feeling that we all share!

That’s why sharing your feelings in a group might make you feel better.

  • Diverse Perspectives:

    Different friends might offer various viewpoints on your situation, helping you see things in a new light. Perhaps they had a slightly different situation. You might have wished that you did something different at a certain moment, and they already previously took that path. Hearing from them might help you realize what would have happened if you did, putting those restless thoughts to ease.
  • Shared Experiences:

    You might find that others have gone through similar struggles, making you feel less alone. Have you ever talked to your friends about how you got beat as a kid? Maybe it was a slipper, a coat hanger, or a belt, but I’m sure the list goes on and on. I know that I’ve shared this story a million times.
  • Collective Strength:

    There's strength in numbers. Crying together can make you feel part of a supportive tribe. Instead of having just one person reassure you in a time where you feel down, it never hurts to have another arm around your shoulder.

If you’ve been feeling down in the dumps recently, maybe it's time to organize that small group catch-up you've been putting off.

Larger Groups: The Healing Power of Community

Now, crying in a larger group might sound intimidating, but hear me out. Whether it's a support group, a church gathering, or even a concert crowd during an emotional song, there's something profoundly moving about shedding tears with many others:

  • Anonymity with Connection:

    Say that you’re sitting in a church. There’s rows of people around you, and you vaguely know most of the people there. The pastor just told a really sad story about how someone close to all of us had passed. You hear a sniffle here and there, but you don’t really know who it is. Not before long, you’ve started sniffling too.

    In a larger group, you might feel more comfortable crying because you're not the sole focus, yet you're still connected to others. You’re all sharing the same emotions, showing that you’re not the only one suffering from this event.
  • Collective Catharsis: There's a ripple effect in group emotions. One person's vulnerability can open the floodgates for others, leading to a shared emotional release. “Don’t cry, I’m going to cry if you cry.” We hear this saying a lot, and it’s this natural reaction that our body gives us. So cry! Accept your feelings for what they are.
  • Sense of Belonging:
    Crying with a community reminds you that you're part of something bigger than yourself.
    Just like with the example in the church, you need to feel like you’re a part of something bigger. We have communities, clubs in school, and even that friend group that we always end up talking to. Humans are social creatures. Embrace that.

Professional Support: Crying with a Therapist

Every so-called ‘enlightened’ person preaches therapy and says that we should go to therapy. It’s all over social media with apps like Betterhelp, but I’ve always been skeptical. Do I really want to fork over all that money to talk to someone? Maybe I do, and there’s probably a good reason for that.

They’re a professional. They’re used to and they’ve seen a million of these situations. Some of them might not be the right therapist for you, but it’s not like every doctor is the right doctor for you either, right? Despite all that, they’ve been trained to deal with situations like these. A lot of people actually do cry during therapy, and it’s often incredibly beneficial. 

  • Safe Space:

    Therapists provide a judgment-free zone where you can express your emotions freely. They’re not someone who’s caught up in the drama of the reason why you feel sad, but someone completely detached from the story. It’s safe to talk to them about this. They won’t judge you, but they’re always there to listen to you.
  • Guided Processing:

    A therapist can help you understand and work through the emotions behind your tears. They can give you objective feedback but listen and respond to your emotional needs at the same time.
  • Skill Building:

    You can learn healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with intense emotions in the future. Instead of breaking down or lashing out at that time, I’ve seen people come out of therapy with different skills to regulate their emotions. Maybe they simply had to count to 10 before doing anything else. Most of the time, those ten seconds are all we need to stop ourselves from doing something we’d regret. 

Even The American Psychological Association notes that emotional expression, including crying, is often a crucial part of the therapeutic process. That’s even more reason to cry during therapy!

Virtual Connections: Crying in the Digital Age

In our increasingly connected world, you don't even have to be in the same room to cry together:

  • Video Calls:

    Seeing a loved one's face, even on a screen, can provide comfort when you're upset. That one friend might be across the planet and you can’t meet them physically, but you can see them right now. Just FaceTime them! We live in an age where we don’t have to hang out in person to update our friends about what’s going on, but it’s possible at the click of a buton.
  • Online Support Groups:

    These can offer a safe space to share your feelings with others who understand. Even here! I’ve recently started a Reddit, and I’m hoping that we can build a safe community. Maybe you need relationship advice, or just someone to talk to and respond to how you feel. It’s completely anonymous too! That one message from a stranger might be all you need to feel better.

Crying is Normal

Remember, crying is a natural, healthy part of being human. And while sometimes you might need that solo cry session, don't forget that sharing your tears with others can be incredibly healing. Whether it's with one trusted friend, a small group, a larger community, a professional, or even through a screen, you have options.

You don't have to cry alone. Your tears are valid, your feelings matter, and there are people out there who want to support you. So next time you feel those tears coming, consider reaching out. You might just find that crying together brings a special kind of healing that crying alone can't match.

And hey, if reading this made you a bit teary-eyed, that's okay too. We're in this together, even if it's just through these words on a screen. Keep feeling, keep connecting, and remember - you're never truly alone in your emotions.

A Rainy Day - The Best Time to Cry

Isn’t there something relaxing and comforting about crying on a rainy day?

Pit-pat pit-pat. You’re curled up on the couch in your living room or next to the window by your desk, watching the raindrops race down the glass. It’s nice. The longer you stare at these little raindrops, your mind wanders. Don’t they resemble tears? 

The Symphony of Rain and Tears

If you start to imagine and let your mind daydream, where are these raindrops coming from? Raindrops are tears that come out when clouds become too heavy to carry any more moisture. In that sense, raindrops are tears too! We cry when we can’t handle the emotions that bottle up anymore while the sky cries when the clouds can’t contain their tears anymore. As they fall from the clouds, these raindrops have a short journey until they splatter onto the hard pavement. When it’s a heavy rain, puddles form. Soon after the rain stops, the puddle remains for a little while until it evaporates, returning to the sky as clouds. 

The life of a raindrop is a never-ending cycle, just like our emotions. We cry when we can’t handle it anymore until we get that momentary relief to help us carry on with our day. Eventually, that relief runs out and we need to cry again. 

Our emotions are the same as the water cycle. Just like how rain washes away the dust and grime from the world, our tears wash away our pent-up emotions. 

The next time you see those raindrops streak down a window, remind yourself that everything’s okay. Don’t be ashamed when you feel like crying because just like the sky, you need to cry too.

Why is Rain So Soothing?

Did you know there's science behind why crying on a rainy day feels so cathartic? It's sensory congruence - when our inner emotional state matches our outer environment. I often feel a lot more at peace and calm when it’s a rainy day outside. Even while I’m drafting this, I’m listening to the calm sounds of rain on a random YouTube video to get me in the mood for writing. Rain calms us down and slows down the busy lifestyles that we all have.

Take some time to relax when you see the rain outside! Remember that we should enjoy life and not just partake in the endless rat race. Close your eyes and just listen. Everything else is gone, but focus on the soft pitter-patter. Envision the life of those raindrops and think about your own. We stress out way too much daily. Slow down and just enjoy the moment we have right now.

Rain Slows Down Life and Makes Us Feel Alive

Rainy days often force us to slow down, to stay inside, to be still. Rainy days are always my favorite, for exactly this reason.

We get to stay inside for a day. Maybe you’ll curl up on the sofa with a book or watch a movie, but you get some time purely for yourself and the people you love. This pause from our usual hustle and bustle creates a safe cocoon where we can let our guard down. It's like the rain is giving us permission to be vulnerable.

Even when we’re outside, a rainy day is a nice change of pace. We lead our lives by going to work and commuting back home. We repeat this so often that life often just becomes a blur that we can’t keep track of. But don’t you remember the last time that you were caught out in the rain?

For me, I was waiting to go home, but the rain came down pouring minutes before I got off work. I decided to make a break for the train station, with the rain splashing against my shirt and on my face. It was different from just walking to the train station. I felt alive. Maybe this sounds crazy to you. However, I see the rainy day as a nice bookmark in our daily lives, where we can remember the moments that are occurring around us. I can remember the last rainy day I had, but I can’t remember what I even worked on last Tuesday. 

The Comfort of Solitude

Crying on a rainy day often involves being alone, but it rarely feels lonely. There's a beautiful solitude in it. The rain outside becomes a gentle companion to your tears. The sound of rain is soothing and you can even imagine each raindrop as a friend who’s listening to your story. The noise of the rain is nature speaking to you (but maybe this makes me sound like too much of a hippie..) The sound of rain is a form of ‘pink noise,’ a constant sound in the background, just like white noise. Pink noise has been proven to help us relax and reduce our brain wave complexity.

That might be why those rainy days help us reflect and find clarity. As your tears come into sync with the raindrops on the window, you’ll find yourself processing emotions or coming to realizations that were too difficult to face when light is shining in your face on a sunny day.

The Physical Release of Tears (or Rain)

Now, this might be a hard one, but can you remember the last time that you’ve felt like crying and you’ve suppressed it? Occasionally, I hear about how people hold back the urge to cry because it wasn’t “the right time or place.” Sure, it might not be best to cry in the middle of a park or during a meeting at work. You might disrupt the people around you or an important meeting, but then, is there a right time or place to cry?

I find that a rainy day might be nature’s way of reminding you of those sentimental moments when you want to let your raindrops come out. When those first teardrops come out, you might even notice that your body has automatically synced up to the rhythm of those raindrops. Your breaths become deeper, or your tears might fall in time with the one raindrop that you’ve been tracking down to the base of your window.

This physical synchronization can be incredibly soothing. It's like a gentle reminder from the universe that your feelings are valid, that it's natural to have ups and downs just like the weather.

A Multisensory Experience

Crying on a rainy day isn't just about tears and raindrops. It's a full sensory experience:

  • The sound of rain creates a natural white noise, drowning out the world's distractions.
  • The cool, damp air carries the fresh scent of petrichor - that distinctive earthy smell you recognize after the downpour.
  • The soft, diffused light of a rainy day, gently resting on your tear-swollen eyes.
  • The taste of salt from your tears.
  • The sensation of a warm blanket or soft sweater against your skin.

All of these sensations come together to create an environment where you can’t argue that it’s not the “right time or place.”

The Aftermath

One of the most beautiful things about crying on a rainy day is the aftermath. Just like the cathartic feeling that envelops you after a good sob, the sky leaves you with clear skies and a rainbow. How beautiful is that rainbow after the rain?

There's a reason people often say they feel better after "a good cry." Emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins that build up during emotional stress. When you cry, you're literally releasing these chemicals from your body. 

So go ahead, find a cozy spot by the window. Wrap yourself in something soft. Listen to the rain. And if those tears come, let them fall. Let them mingle with the raindrops on the glass. Let them wash away what needs to be released.

After you cry, you feel fresh. The world looks a little clearer, feels a little lighter. And you, my friend, you'll have weathered your own internal storm, coming out stronger on the other side.

Only Humans have Emotional Tears

In thinking about tears and crying, I ended up stumbling on a super interesting fact during a conversation yesterday.

“Did you know that only humans cry emotional tears?”

This was insane to me! What makes this distinction between us and other animals? Are other animals not able to cry or they’re only unable to cry emotional tears? It starts to question, do we know how different animals express their emotions? Is it because we have larger brains that we are the only species that shed tears as a response to emotional stimuli?

Dr. Ad Vingerhoets, a psychology professor at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, has spent years studying human tears. He suggests that emotional crying might have evolved as a way to signal distress to others without making noise - super important when our ancestors were trying to avoid predators! Does it mean that our previous methods of relieving stress or signaling distress were something like a loud scream instead?

However, crying isn't just about sadness. We cry when we're overwhelmed with joy when we're frustrated, or just for no reason at all. Our bodies have found this incredible way to release intense emotions that words can't express.

How Other Animals Express Emotions

Now, how do other animals express their emotions? They have emotions too, they just express it differently:

  1. Vocalizations:
    Think of a dog whimpering or a cat purring. They’re not crying or screaming, but they’re making a small noise to express their feelings.
  2. Body Language:
    A wagging tail, flattened ears, or bared teeth can speak volumes about an animal's emotional state. Pet owners, you know it best!
  3. Scent:
    Many animals release specific pheromones when they're stressed or excited. There are many animals that release stress-related odors, such as cows, mice, and even us.
  4. Physical Displays:
    Gorillas might beat their chests and birds might puff up their feathers.
  5. Facial Expressions:
    Primates, in particular, can show a range of facial expressions similar to humans.

Let’s not forget that animals need to express and release their emotions too. When I remember the last time I visited a cat cafe, I noticed how stressed out these cats seemed. They’re constantly meeting new people and getting pet by strangers. I have no idea what i would do if I were in their position. 

Tears: Our Emotional Safety Valve

For us humans, tears often come when other forms of expression aren't enough. It's our body's way of saying, "Okay, we've tried everything else, time to cry!"
I like to think about crying as an emotional bathroom. We have to let out this stress, and sometimes, there just isn’t any other option.

Dr. William Frey, a biochemist, found that emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins. So when we cry, we're literally flushing stress out of our system. Pretty neat, huh?

What Else Makes Us Unique?

While emotional tears are a big deal, other things set us apart from our animal friends:

  1. Complex Language:
    We can communicate abstract thoughts and feelings in incredible detail.
  2. Advanced Problem-Solving:
    Our ability to think abstractly and plan for the future is unparalleled. Haven’t you been stressed about the future before? 
  3. Self-Awareness:
    We have a deep understanding of our own existence and mortality. At least I’d like to think so…
  4. Cultural Transmission:
    We pass down knowledge and skills through generations in a way no other species does. Who else writes books or causes generational trauma trying to pass down your grandma’s recipes?
  5. Artistic Expression:
    From cave paintings to symphonies, our creativity is unique. We have so many different design fields, think about the crazy amount of money that people pay for art!
  6. Empathy and Compassion:
    While some animals show forms of empathy, our capacity for it is far more advanced. So don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend when you need them!
  7. Technological Innovation:
    Our ability to create and use complex tools sets us apart. I don’t think I’ve seen monkeys develop and build smartphones before…

The Emotional Complexity of Humans

Here's something to think about - our emotional tears might be a sign of just how complex our emotional lives are. We don't just feel basic emotions like fear or anger. We experience nostalgia, existential dread, bittersweet joy, and so many other nuanced feelings that might be uniquely human.

Dr. Robert Provine, a neuroscientist, suggests that our tears might have evolved alongside our complex social structures. They're a way to signal our emotional state to others, fostering empathy and connection.

The Power of Shared Tears

Crying isn’t always something to be hidden either! Sure, there are so many different cultures that shun crying in public (a story for another time), but I find that having someone acknowledge your pain makes you feel a little better in the moment. At that time, the person consoling you might also break down in tears. That's because crying isn't just a personal act - it's a social one. It brings us together, helps us connect, and shows our vulnerability in a way that words often can't. You’re not making them cry, but they’re relating and understanding the pain that you’re going through, and they’re emotionally affected too. It’s okay to cry together.

So next time you find yourself tearing up, remember that you're tapping into something uniquely human. Those salty droplets rolling down your cheeks are a testament to the depth of your emotions and the complexity of your inner world. If thinking about all this makes you a bit emotional, that's okay. Let those tears flow if they need to.
They're a reminder of your humanity, your ability to feel deeply, and your connection to everyone else who's ever shed a tear.

Keep feeling, keep expressing, and keep being wonderfully, emotionally human. Your tears are just one of the many things that make you amazing.

The Interesting Salty Science of Tears

We know what tears are, but do we know what tears really are? That sounds like a really stupid sentence, but how many of you can say you know what’s in your tears? They’re these salty droplets that come from your eyes when you’re sad, happy, or chopping onions. Why are they even salty? Let's explore what tears are made of and why they taste like the ocean.

The Basics: What Are Tears?

Tears are more than just water coming from our eyes. They're a complex mixture of water, oils, proteins, and electrolytes. Past the chemical makeup, these tears help us release the stresses from our body to function normally everyday. Each tear is like a tiny ocean, both physically and emotionally. They carry important substances to keep both our eyes and hearts healthy and functioning.

Breaking down the tears, they contain:

  • Mostly water (about 98%)
  • Salts (mostly sodium chloride - the same as table salt!)
  • Proteins (like lysozyme, we’ll get more into this later)
  • Oils (to prevent tears from evaporating too quickly)
  • Mucus (helps tears spread evenly across the eye)

The Chemical Structure of Tears

As we know, the basic chemical formula for tears is H2O - just like water. However, all the things we mentioned right above are not accounted for in that formula.

The salt in tears is mostly sodium chloride (NaCl), the same as table salt. There's also potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). These are all electrolytes, which help us maintain a delicate balance of fluids. Without them, our eyes would dry out or become easily irritated, as opposed to being moist and comfortable. They help tears spread out evenly as well. Do you ever notice that when you only have a few tears come out, instead of when you’re in a full out sob, the tears start to well up in your eyes instead of leaking right out?

The electrolyte composition is also important to mimic other bodily fluids. This helps make sure our tears are compatible with our eye tissues, preventing irritation. Even more, these electrolytes are antiseptic/antibacterial, fighting off bacteria from staying on the surface of our eyes.

Other than the electrolytes, proteins like lysozyme and lactoferrin are found within tears. These proteins are the main contributor to fighting off the bacteria and helping our eyes heal, and they wouldn’t be able to exist without having the right electrolyte environment. 

So the next time you feel tears about to come, don’t hold it back anymore. It’s much better for you to cry, think about it as a natural cycle that happens to help maintain your eye health. 

What's Inside Tears?

This is where all those confusing names come in, but it’s still cool to think about!

  • Lysozyme: This enzyme can destroy bacterial cell walls, acting as a natural antibiotic.
  • Lactoferrin: Another antibacterial protein that also helps with iron absorption.
  • Lipocalin: This protein binds to fatty molecules and helps spread tears evenly across the eye surface.
  • Immunoglobulins: These are antibodies that help fight off infections.
  • Glucose: Yes, there's a tiny bit of sugar in your tears!
  • Growth factors: These help in healing and maintaining the cornea.

I don’t expect anyone to remember all this, but it's still interesting, right?

A study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology found over 1,500 proteins in human tears. That's a lot of complexity in each little drop!

Types of Tears

Not all tears are created equal. There are actually three main types:

  1. Basal tears: These are the everyday tears that keep our eyes lubricated. They're constantly being produced and are crucial for eye health. Think about when your eyes are dry. That probably means that your body isn’t manufacturing enough tears! These should always be in your eyes. Tears aren’t only limited to when you blink or are sad when tears come out, they’re constantly there.
  2. Reflex tears: These are the tears that flow when something irritates your eye, like dust, wind, or onion vapors. Say you walked past a construction site and some dirt blew into your eye. Your body creates these reflex tears to flush them out. Useful, right?
  3. Emotional tears: These are the tears we typically think of - the ones that come with strong emotions, whether happy or sad. This might be your last breakup, a failed test, or just the stresses of life that we all unfortunately have to go through. Cry a little!

With all these different types of tears, the chemical composition actually varies a tiny bit between each type. Interestingly, the American Academy of Ophthalmology actually notes that emotional tears have a different chemical composition compared to reflex tears.
“Higher levels of prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, Leu-enkephalin, potassium and manganese have all been located in emotional tears.”

Why Are Tears Salty?

Now, think about the last time you cried. Maybe it was just a small droplet that rolled down your face and it eventually hit your lips. Wasn’t it a bit salty? Our tears have almost the same salt concentration as our blood plasma. We mentioned that there’s sodium chloride in our tears and this saltiness serves several purposes:

  • It helps maintain the right osmotic balance in our eyes.
  • The salt acts as a mild antiseptic.
  • It helps our tears spread evenly across our eyes.

The concentration of salt in our tears is about roughly 0.9%. Taking seawater into comparison, seawater is at 3.5%. Freshwater, on the other hand, is anything that’s usually less than 1%. Our tears are not quite as salty as seawater, but it could be classified as freshwater, which is not completely salt-free, but definitely still has a decent amount of salt.

Tears are quite interesting and have a lot more depth than just this liquid which comes out from your eyes when you’re sad. Next time you’re sad and feel like crying, maybe you can be amazed instead from how your body reacts as it’s trying to get that sadness to leave your body.

They clean our eyes, fight off bacteria, and even help us process emotions. So don't hold back those tears - they're little marvels of nature, each and every one. You're not just crying - you're taking care of your eyes and processing your emotions all at once. 

It’s okay to cry. These tears are a sign that you're alive, you're feeling, and you're human. And that's a beautiful thing.

Crying over Generational Trauma

Today’s topic is a pretty sensitive one, as it’s not always easy to talk about generational trauma as second-generation immigrants. It’s a heavy one, especially to me, as it’s one of the factors which impacted me the most. Let's break it down and maybe shed a few healing tears together.

The Academic Pressure Cooker

Generational trauma affects us in all different ways, but one of the biggest is the pressure to do well in school. Many of our parents grew up without the opportunity to go to college. To them, college was the promised land, where you would be educated and emerge from the other side with more potential job prospects. Other alternate pathways were simply inferior to them. They saw success in those who went to college and wanted the best for us, even if that meant putting us through this “academic pressure cooker.”

We were slowly brewing under the lid of that dreadful process, but they didn't realize that their well intentions was the source of our true pain and tears. Anecdotes of our upbringings are all over the internet, from getting whooped as a child for not getting an A+ on every exam to crying over not being able to answer the math question in front of us. 

A study published online in 2012 analyzes this exact notion. “Perceptions of living up to parental expectations of current academic performance and personal standards for preparation for a future career partially explained ethnic differences in frequency of academic worry.” I’m an Asian American who went through this struggle. Our parent’s favorite sayings was always “Education is everything,” or “Do better next time.” Still, I sometimes wake up and worry about the fact that I may have not met their expectations for going to an Ivy League college.

Occasionally, the term “model minority” comes up, and it feels like we now have to be come this  "perfect" immigrant kid. The "model minority" myth isn't just a societal issue - it starts at home. I've cried countless nights feeling like I wasn't living up to this impossible standard. If you've been there, crying about it isn't weakness - it's a release from an unfair expectation that no one should have to bear.

These stresses really come crashing down on us. There’s not much we can do about it either. They mean well, and we know that, but it’s still insufferable. I’m sure you’ve felt this way too. Getting a bad test score doesn’t mean anything now, but it used to mean that I wasn’t good enough to be their son. Crying was the only option at moments like this. We simply had no way out, crying ourselves to sleep was the only thing that provided a bit of solace. 

Lost in Translation

What age were you when they started giving you random government letters to translate for them? How were we supposed to know what the word “government” was in our native tongue?

There’s actually a term for this. “The phenomenon when the children are socializing the parents is often described as role reversal, parentification, or filial responsibility (Jurkovic, 1997, Jurkovic et al., 2004, Umaña-Taylor, 2003). “

As second-generation immigrants, we often take on the role as our family’s unofficial translator. From doctor's appointments to tax forms, we became adults way too early. I remember worrying about if I was mis-translating some of these important letters. What if I misunderstood something super important about paying property tax or rent and accidentally got us to fall into a huge mountain of debt? 

We were literally our family’s lifeline.

As the only person in my family who spoke English, getting letters in the mail became stress to me. My parents were too busy to take any sort of English class at all, as they took on jobs just to make ends meet. It’s an unfair burden that we carry. Sometimes, I’m grateful for the accelerated path that this forced us to take. We learn a bit more about life, keep our language skills from rusting, and feel like an adult maybe a little sooner.

Nonetheless, growing up wasn’t easy. Being the child of immigrants comes with a lot of stress. 

The Career Tug-of-War

Doctor, lawyer, engineer - sounds familiar, right? Many of us grew up with a very narrow list of "acceptable" careers. The whole notion of an “acceptable career” seems crazy to me. All jobs in the world help keep the globe spinning, how would we be able to work in the setting of one of these “acceptable” careers if there weren't janitors to keep the place clean? For sure, our parents want these higher-paying careers for us not only for their bragging rights and prestige but to see us not have to suffer through the struggles of life.

We fall into these endless cycles of guilt when they compare us to their friend’s son or daughter who just got into Harvard. We wonder what would have happened if we studied a little harder in school and we were in that position instead, but I don’t think we truly needed to worry about these things at all. More often than not, we go to college and get a degree just for the sake of it, not truly considering what our values are and what we want to study because it’s impossible to make that decision when we haven’t even seen the real world yet.

How are we supposed to know what we want to do with our lives? How are we supposed to know what major we want to dedicate the rest of our lives to when the only thing we’ve done is go through school and take tests on these subjects which we didn’t have any choice? For the vast majority of those people who end up taking a linear path and graduating at light speed, I find that they often don’t enjoy it. We need time to slow down and process our emotions, values, and desires.

If you’ve ever cried because you don’t know what to do with your life, that’s okay. Putting it bluntly, who does? Who can know what they want to do, right out of the womb? Take your time to go through life step by step, we pave our path at the rate we want.

The Invisible Weight of Sacrifice

"We gave up everything for you." How many times have we heard that? The guilt of our parents' sacrifices can be overwhelming. Sometimes, I break down thinking about all my parents gave up. It's okay to cry about this - those tears honor their sacrifices while acknowledging the emotional toll it takes on us.

Friend, if you've found yourself crying over any (or all) of these things, you're not alone. Generational trauma is real, and it hurts. But here's the beautiful thing - by talking about it, by sharing our tears and experiences, we're starting to heal. Not just for ourselves, but for future generations too.

Remember, every tear you shed is washing away a little bit of that pain. Every time you open up about these struggles, you're creating space for others to do the same. It's okay to cry, to feel overwhelmed, to question. That's how we start to break these cycles.

So next time you feel those tears coming on, let them flow. Cry it out, then reach out. To a friend, a therapist, or even to communities online where others share similar experiences. Because when we share our stories, we realize we're not alone in this journey.

You're doing great.

Crying over Money

The Weight of Financial Worries

Recently, I’ve been reading a lot about financial literacy and it always comes down to this one thing; how much money do you need to be happy? 

Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, your mind's racing about bills, debt, and making ends meet. On the other hand, you might be one of the lucky few who make a decent living, but it’s still just an endless rat race to keep increasing your income. Is it possible for us to escape from these thoughts?

Money can be an intense source of stress that pushes us to our breaking point. The kind of stress that eventually squeezes tears out of us, whether we like it or not. You could be a tough blue-collar worker coming back from a tiring day or a nurse who’s been running around all day, but the stress of money is the thing that we all share.

When we start to think about money, it feels like we’re the only ones suffering. We scroll through social media and see all these influencers with sponsorships, free products, and a million luxury items. It’s easy to get lost in those feelings.

Take a minute to breathe.
(I truly want you to close your eyes for just 5 seconds, and take a deep breath. Forget about everything else, just exist for a bit, then come back.)

In reality, we’re all carrying the same burden. Those influencers who live a lifestyle you dream about are going through the same things as you. They worry about money too. You’re only seeing what they want you to see to get you to watch their videos. Who actually knows if they’re truly living the lives that they’re portraying?

Putting Money into Perspective. 

Now, let's zoom out for a second.

I ran across an interesting statistic when doom-scrolling the other day.

“ If you earn $60,000 a year after tax and you don’t have kids, you’re in the richest 1 percent of the world’s population.”

That was insane to me. If you do the math, we have roughly 8 billion people in the world. If you take 1% of that, there are 80 million people who are in that top 1% with you. On the other hand, that means there are 7.92 billion people in the world who are living with less than $60,000 a year. Now, with that statistic in mind, hear me out.

We live life and push through day by day just to survive. We try to make all this money and chase after a higher salary, a better job, and we keep going until we’re 65 when we can retire. (Unless you’re trying to retire early with the whole FIRE movement, good for you!) What are you going to do when you get that all that money? We say that money makes us happy, but how much money makes you happy?

Let’s say that you’re in that top 1%. If you make $60,000 a year, are you happy? You’re doing better off than 99% of the people in the world. Isn’t that reason enough to feel grateful for where you are at the moment?

If you’re not happy at $60,000 a year, think about switching places with someone who isn’t in that top 1%. What drives their happiness? Would their newfound wealth make them happy? Were they already happy before? This number that we chase, this goal of wealth, is so subjective that we often get caught up trying to live someone else’s life.

Sure, money solves a lot of our problems. That’s for granted. Instead, think about how much you truly need. There’s no way that the rest of the world is unhappy just because they’re not in the top 1%.

Did you know that about 9% of the world's population – that's like 700 million people – are living in extreme poverty? That's less than $2.15 a day. It's heartbreaking, and it really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Tears of Relief: When Financial Stress Lifts

Those statistics and thoughts help us feel more grateful for what we have. Despite all that, it’s still true that our finances will still cause us stress. We still have to think about all our expenditures and budget for the month. When those thoughts come through, think about the times where you became a tiny bit more financially stable.

Maybe you were unemployed and searching for a job, and after months of searching, you finally got a job offer. Maybe you had mountains of student or credit card debt to pay off and you finally did. Those are some of the best feelings in the world, aren’t they? You might have cried a few tears of relief, knowing that you finally had a source of income again. It’s golden. Those tears are an acknowledgment of the struggles that you went through. Better yet, those tears provide that beautiful feeling of release and peace that you wanted for so long.

Celebrate it! Enjoy your wins, big or small, because those moments of happiness are what we truly live for in life.

Finding Peace in the Struggle

Here's what I want you to remember. Whether you're shedding tears of frustration over bills or crying with relief because you finally have some breathing room, it's all valid. Your feelings about money are real and important. Crying isn't weakness – it's a release, a way to process these intense emotions.

And if you're struggling right now, please know you're not alone. There's no shame in reaching out for help, whether that's to a friend, a financial advisor, or a mental health professional. Sometimes, just talking about it can lift some of that weight off your shoulders.

Remember, your worth isn't defined by your bank account. You're much more than a number. And while money stress is real and valid, don't let it overshadow the beautiful, complex, amazing person you are.

So next time you feel those money-stress tears coming on, let them flow. Have a good cry if you need to. Then take a deep breath, remind yourself of your strength, and keep moving forward.

Soul Healing: Crying Is Your Body's Fail-proof Reset Button

Your body and soul need a reset. Maybe you need to cry. I know, it sounds odd, but hear me out.

Crying is actually really good for us - not just for our emotions, but for our whole being. It's like a reset button for our soul.


Stress Piles Up

Let's start with the mental side of things. Sometimes, life just feels way too overwhelming. Everything’s piling up and you get these small annoyances in your life that make you feel like, wow, I just can’t catch a break.

Recently, a small thing bothered me. Maybe it’s not small to others, or maybe it’s actually not even small to me at all. I came home after a long day at work and got a random message from my sister that she was using my credit card. I had left it on my Amazon account and wasn’t expecting her to use it, but the fact that she was just using it instead of asking me if she could was just the last straw. It was like she had absolutely no respect for me.

That's when a good cry can work wonders. It's like your body saying, "Hey, I need to let this out." And when you do, it's a weight lifted off your shoulders.

But here's the thing that really blew my mind recently - crying isn't just good for your mental health, it's actually great for your physical health too. I stumbled upon this YouTube channel called "Goobie and Doobie", and it's run by this doctor who used to perform surgeries for people with degenerative spine problems. He recently had a video go viral about why he was quitting being a doctor. Goobie compared his surgeries to patching a leaky roof, he was temporarily fixing it, but he wasn’t truly fixing the root of the problem. He was just putting a band-aid on it.


Beyond Band-Aids: Addressing the Root Cause

How often do we put band-aids on our own problems?

We’re temporarily fixing things and delaying our stresses off for later, until we can’t handle it anymore. Just like that leaky roof, the moment comes when we need to cry and let all the water run out. It's not just about feeling sad or letting out emotions, instead, crying is acknowledging our true internal problems and letting our bodies process it.

When we cry, our bodies release stress hormones and other toxins. It's like we're literally flushing out the bad stuff. Imagine you were patching up the hole in the roof without draining all the water first. Don’t you need to drain the water, diagnose the problem, and only then, should you patch up that hole?

So cry! Let yourself go through that emotional and physical cleanse. After you feel slightly better, start to process and digest what you just went through. Now, you can make a conscious and non-clouded decision about how to carry on. Your body will thank you for it.



5 Science-Backed Strategies to heal your soul

So, I've been doing some research on ways we can take better care of ourselves, both emotionally and physically. Here are a few things I've learned:

  • Crying regularly can lower blood pressure and reduce stress hormones. A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that emotional tears contain stress hormones and other toxins, which are removed from the body through crying. (Source: Frontiers in Psychology)
  • Getting enough sleep is crucial for emotional regulation. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for adults. Lack of sleep can increase stress and emotional reactivity. (Source: National Sleep Foundation)
  • Regular exercise, especially hitting 10,000 steps a day, can significantly improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. A study in The Lancet Psychiatry found that physical activity is associated with lower mental health burden. (Source: The Lancet Psychiatry) It roughly translates into 100 minutes of walking, so I’ve been incorporating a 30-minute walk after each meal!
  • Reducing sodium intake can help with blood pressure and overall heart health. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams a day. (Source: American Heart Association)
  • Mindfulness practices like meditation can help manage stress and improve emotional well-being. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mindfulness meditation programs can help reduce anxiety, depression, and pain. (Source: JAMA Internal Medicine

Even with all these tips, sometimes the best thing you can do is just let yourself have a good cry. It's giving yourself permission to feel and to be human.

Holistic Health: The Mind-Body Connection in Wellness

I remember times when I've been so stressed or upset that I felt physically ill. My stomach would be in knots, my head would ache, and I'd feel like I couldn't breathe properly. But then, when I finally let myself break down and cry, it was like a dam bursting. And afterwards?

I felt exhausted, but also... lighter. Clearer. I could think maybe 5% better. That 5% was everything to me.

That's the magic of crying. It's not just about the tears - it's about acknowledging our feelings, processing them, and letting them go. It's a form of self-care that we often overlook because we're taught to "be strong" or "keep it together." But real strength is in allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, to feel deeply, and to let it out.

Remember, taking care of your emotional health isn't just good for your soul - it's good for your whole body. So eat well, sleep enough, get moving, and yes, cry when you need to. Your body and your soul will thank you for it.

And hey, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to, I'm here. Because sometimes, the best medicine is knowing you're not alone in this crazy, beautiful, emotional journey we call life.

COVID Killed Our Third Spaces


Ever since Covid, I've been thinking a lot about something, maybe it's been on your mind too. Remember how life used to be before the pandemic hit? We would be at home, at work, and then... we had that other special place. That "third space" where we could just be ourselves, unwind, and connect with others. For all of us, that place was different. It might have been the bar for some and at the pool hall for others. Ray Oldenburg called it the "third place," and wow, you really don’t realize what you had until it’s gone.

Goodbye to your coffee shops

It’s like those cozy coffee shops where you could walk in, smile, and ask for your usual. They would know your order by heart, and that was a nice gesture that always made you a little happier. What about that pub where you would walk in and see everyone waiting for you at the bar? It could have been the gym, the park, or even the library where you like to do your work. We would chat about nothing and everything. These were our third spaces - not home, not work, but somewhere in between where we could just... breathe.

It wasn’t until COVID hit until we realized how much these places meant to us. These spaces vanished from our lives. We were left with just home and work, and now home even became work. It was like someone took a giant eraser and wiped out a huge part of our daily routines.

Life became Two-Dimensional

This sudden shift hit us hard. Life became this monotonous cycle of wake up, work, sleep, repeat. The worst was that all this took place in the same space. I would be at the same table for hours on end, without even a choice to go outside and take a walk because of the fear that was instilled into us. The lines that were defining our personal and professional lives blurred until they were indistinguishable. That third space was now gone, the buffer zone where we would shake off all our stress. 

Without our third spaces, where could we go to vent about a tough day at work without bringing that negativity home? Where could we celebrate small victories with friends who'd cheer us on? Where could we simply exist without the pressures of productivity or domestic responsibilities?

The weight of this loss was insurmountable. Stress levels skyrocketed and many of us felt a deep, unnamed longing. We were missing something vital, something that made life colorful and vibrant. The worst thing was, we had no way to overcome it.

Just like plants, we need water too

Here's the thing. We're social creatures to the core. It's not just a nice-to-have; it's a need-to-have. We're wired for connection. We crave physical touch, the sound of laughter, and the warmth of a smile. 

Even in ancient times, our ancestors survived by banding together and working together as hunter-gatherers. Fast forward to today, and our brains still crave that feeling of being part of a community, rather than spending all of our time alone. Our third spaces gave us exactly that - a sense of community.

Without these spaces, we’re like plants trying to grow without sunlight. We might survive, but we couldn't thrive. Even with watering our plants, we need to water them occasionally! It fits the metaphor even more when you take into account that each plant needs a different amount of water! Some of us can last without that water for a pretty long time and others feel empty without talking to people for even a day.

The isolation took its toll on our mental health, our creativity, our very sense of self. We felt it. It was a void we weren’t familiar with. Even online, the endless scroll of social media was trying to fill a void it never could.

The Desperate Search for Connection

As the pandemic wore on, didn't you feel it? That ache for normal human interaction? We tried to recreate our third spaces virtually - Zoom happy hours, spending all day on discord, people even developed virtual offices where you could walk around as avatars. All these efforts were to try to fill that void. And while these were better than nothing, they couldn't fully replicate the magic of real-life, spontaneous interactions.

This desperation stressed us out in ways that we couldn’t even comprehend. We were stressed at home, stressed at work, and had nowhere to go to release that stress.

A Glimmer of Hope

But here's the beautiful thing, my friend. We’re out of COVID now.

The pandemic has become a shadow behind us. We now have a chance to go back to those third spaces, with this newfound appreciation of how important these times really are. We can comprehend how crucial these spaces are for our mental health. Let’s start going back to them now.

Maybe your third space is that quirky little bookstore that somehow survived the pandemic. You might want to take more walks outside now, perhaps you’ll start to recognize the same few faces that you start to pass by. Or maybe, it could be a new space altogether. Until you find that space and that understanding, feel free to stay here as long as you’d like. 

It’s not physical and it doesn’t have the magic of what chatting at the bar can feel like, but we share that understanding that we need that feeling. It’s a feeling of catharsis, a feeling that sometimes you get when you scream, or cry, or feel satisfied from anything at all.

Whatever form it takes, let's cherish this space. Nurture them, support them, and recognize them for what they are - not just places, but lifelines to our social and emotional selves, our stressed-out selves, our fully human selves.

Let's seek our these third spaces with intention and gratitude. Let's create them where they don't exist. And most importantly, let's never again take for granted the simple joy of being together, in a space that's neither home nor work, but somewhere wonderfully in between.

Crying to Sleep: Release Stress on Tearful Nights

It’s quite nice to end the day crying.

Surely, this is an experience that we’ve all shared.

It’s quite comforting when then the peace settles in after a good cry. The world goes quiet and we’re left alone with nothing but our thoughts. It’s a unique feeling. I grew up in the big city and there’s never a moment where you can hear your own heartbeat like you can now. For many of us, these are the moments when crying hurts the most. We let the tears run, silently behind closed doors, soaking our pillows as we hope for tomorrow to come.

You just spent 10 minutes sobbing your heart out from something we just couldn’t handle anymore. 

Crying ourselves to sleep is a deeply personal experience, one that often feels isolating.
You’re not alone. There’s someone else doing the same as you are at this moment. 

The Science Behind Our Nocturnal Tears

Our bodies have a fascinating way of processing emotions, especially at night.  As the day fades, our minds start to look inward, bringing thoughts that we’ve been suppressing back to the surface. We’re a bit further away from the stresses of work and finally have a few hours to ourselves. 

Scientifically speaking, crying before sleep can actually serve a purpose. Tears release stress hormones and toxins from our bodies. They contain leucine enkephalin, a natural painkiller that can help soothe emotional pain. 

According to Issaquah Eyeworks, psychogenic tears, or tears that are sparked by emotion, contain higher levels of this natural painkiller as well as stress hormones. 

Putting it in different words, tears are nature’s antidepressants. 

It’s helping us fall asleep a little better.

The Sleepy Aftermath

As someone who has spent countless nights with tears streaming down my face, I understand how overwhelming this can feel. It feels hopeless at times, and that moment, there’s no way that we can think clearly and see the end. You’ve muffled the sounds of your pain under the blanket, scared that maybe your family will hear you from outside. At times, these crying sessions get so intense that you start to feel nauseous and overtaken with the feeling of needing to vomit. I’ve been scared to go outside myself, eyes red and to endure the walk of shame to the bathroom with the evidence that you’ve been crying all over your face. 

However, crying has always been comforting at those moments. Have you ever noticed how, after a good cry, it feels like you can sleep a little better? Your eyelids are a little heavier and I often find myself already under the blanket in these situations. You’ve already curled up into the comfort of your bed. 

Your body is exhausted. Naturally, we’ve drained ourselves both emotionally and physically, whether it was by choice or not. This is called the “rest and digest” system. According to PsychologyToday, this blessing was given to us by the parasympathetic nervous system. 



“A 2019 study sums it up: “It seems that crying onset is associated with an increase in sympathetic activity, and the resolution of crying may also be associated with increases in parasympathetic activity,” which possibly suggest a “recovery process”—physiologically and psychologically—associated with the resolution of crying.9”

Doesn’t this ensure that crying is normal? Our bodies are already programmed with this natural recovery method from the stress that we have to endure every day. They’ve already prepared for us to feel better after crying and get a restful good night’s sleep! Your mind and body are always working closely together and their current job is to get you through the night. 

Crying is Hope

As you face your tear-filled nights, I want you to know this; everything is okay. This might not make sense right now, but things never make sense when you’re down in the dumps. We associate tears with weakness, but rather, we should start to associate them with a feeling of strength. Tears are a sign that you’re owning up to the pains that the world is throwing at you. You’re acknowledging and processing them at your own pace. It’s a sign that we’re all only human; to love, to hurt, and to heal.

These nights are not defeats, but just part of the process of healing. Maybe we should mark off each day on the calendar that we cry! (Just a joke, but it’s a pretty interesting idea…) We would be noting each day that we became a tiny bit stronger, creating a record of our resilience.

You are not failing. You are processing, healing, growing. Every tear you shed is washing away a little bit of your pain, making room for future joy.

I won't tell you that the sadness will magically disappear overnight. Healing is a process, and it takes time. But I can tell you, from my own experience, that these nights of sorrow do become less frequent. The pain does lessen. And one day, you'll realize that you've slept through the night without tears, and it will feel like a small victory.

Vomiting and crying until you're completely okay.

The nights when I couldn’t stop vomiting.

It wasn’t easy. Even from just reading the title of this section, you can imagine how I felt at that moment. There are times in our lives when we feel like everything’s gone to shit. For me, that was this one breakup.

It was the end of a relationship that I had never seen coming, and I had no idea it would end this way. I thought things were going great (even to the point of considering marriage) until I got that one feeling and that one message, to the one conversation that led to us deciding that we didn’t need each other anymore. 

Those two months were spent staring at the ceiling for hours on end, with the occasional break of sobbing my heart out until I felt like I didn’t have any tears to cry anymore. Occasionally, it got so bad that I started physically vomiting from the depression I was going through. I really didn’t understand how I was vomiting. It’s just the emotions that were coursing through me, how was it possible that I was vomiting out everything when I hadn’t eaten for days? There was nothing in my stomach and it was an experience that I had never felt before. 

I struggled to find myself, and as everyone likes to say when they break up, I went on this “healing journey.” But in reality, it takes a while until you get to the point where you can even start doing that. 

On those nights, huddled over the toilet with my tears mixing with the contents of my stomach, I felt utterly broken. But little did I know, this huge turning point in my life became the foundation for what I felt like I wanted to now dedicate my life to - this blog, and my mission to help others feel just a little bit better each day.

The Mind-Body Connection: Why We Get Sick When We're Sad

Why does extreme emotional distress make us physically ill?

One of the first articles that I read to try to understand how I felt was on Cleveland Clinic.

““Your anxious feelings can translate into a whole range of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including stress nausea, abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits and even stress vomiting,” Dr Tramontana explains.”

The connection between our minds and bodies is truly complex. When we're in a state of intense emotional pain, our body goes into an immediate stress response. This triggers the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can cause physical symptoms including nausea and vomiting. It was only here that I realized how connected our minds and our bodies were.

Finding Purpose in Pain: The Birth of a Mission

But here's the thing - as awful as it feels, this physical purging can actually be a step toward healing. (Isn’t that insane?) Just as our tears release emotional toxins, vomiting can feel like a physical release of our pain. It's our body's way of saying, "I can't hold this anymore." Just like that, our body turns our emotions, something intangible, into vomit, a physical substance that we can get rid of from our bodies!

Those nights of combined emotional and physical purging became a turning point for me. They stripped me bare, yes, but they also cleared the way for a new perspective. Each time, I got up from the toilet and rinsed out my mouth, feeling a tiny bit better than I did before. I would talk to the two closest friends I had about it, I even ended up vomiting on call once…

With their reassurance, I realized that if I could survive feeling this awful, I could survive anything. More importantly, I understood that no one should have to go through such pain alone.

That's when the idea for this blog was born. I wanted to create a space where people could come when they felt overwhelmed, a place that said, "I see you. I've been there. And I promise you, everything will be okay."

The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Everything Is Okay

Because that's the truth I wish I had known back then: everything is okay. Even when it feels like your world is ending, even when you're crying so hard you're sick, even when you can't see a way forward - you are okay. This pain is not forever. 

The experience changed me profoundly. It taught me empathy in a way I'd never known before. It showed me the strength that lies within vulnerability. It helped me understand that our lowest moments can become our greatest teachers if we let them.

A Message of Hope: You Are Not Alone

To anyone reading this who's in that dark place right now: I see you. I feel your pain. And I want you to know that you are not alone. What you're feeling is valid, and it's okay to let it out - whether that's through tears, through physical illness, or both.

Remember, your body is trying to help you. It's attempting to process and release the immense emotions you're experiencing. It's okay to let that happen. It's okay to cry until you're empty. It's okay to be sick with grief. It's all okay.

And when the storm passes - because it will pass - you'll find that you're still standing. You might be shaky, you might be exhausted, but you'll be there. And you'll be stronger for having survived through it.

Everything is okay. You are okay. This pain is not your forever state. It's a moment in time, a chapter in your story. And just like every storm eventually clears, this too shall pass.

So cry if you need to. Let your body process this pain however it needs to. And know that on the other side of this, there's healing. There's growth. There's a version of you that's more compassionate, more resilient, and more beautiful for having gone through this.

You are not alone. We're in this together. And I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, everything is going to be okay.