Dear Fish (and All Those Who Feel Similarly),

dear fish (and all those who feel similarly),

this is something that I struggle with, too, and you put it into words so eloquently.

some things that I found that help are things that make me feel really intensely, one way or another. some examples could be music that makes you wanna scream-sing, a movie that you love or are nostalgic for, or even something as simple as cute dog, cat, or baby videos.

do things you love, especially art. this can be journaling, doing creative writing, painting, drawing, flower arranging, singing, playing music, crocheting, whatever! let your thoughts and feelings show in the work. this is a good way to make your body "feel" the feelings, in a kind of literal sense.

when you feel something that makes you feel like you need to cry, try to notice how you physically feel. where is the feeling? is it hot, tight, cold, heavy? then, go back to the thought that made you feel this way. don't overthink or rationalize, but just sit with it for a second. let your body deal with it. this part is really hard, for me.

while doing this, don't expect yourself to cry right away. your nervous system has been in hiatus, hiding from all these feelings, and it'll take time to thaw and remember how to do it more regularly. and even when you do cry, it will be once and then it'll be a while again until the next time.

I have only recently been working on this, too, and this is just things that I've found works for me. always remember, feeling is always better than not feeling. in fact - feeling anything is always good! it means you care. be patient with yourself, and remember that I love you!

sincerely, someone who cares

a bit of a more serious subject,

in real life I'm an optimist and I always like to see on the bright side of situations, even if things are really bad. because of this I find it extremely difficult for me to cry.

every time I feel emotional and I feel like I might have an opportunity to cry, I always talk myself out of it. I know things will get better, so I stop myself from feeling those emotions.

I would give anything to be able to cry sometimes, crying is an amazing and healthy outlet for overwhelming emotions. sadly though, I haven't been able to cry in a very long time, and it's been seriously affecting my mental health.

I wanted to ask, does anybody have any advice for ways I could convince my brain to let me cry and feel these emotions?

thank you so much