Crying

Nope, I don't feel any connetion to grandparents, mine were all gone before i was even born.

hmmmmm

Maybe you should analyze the previous times you have cried and try to put yourself back into those feelings.

I honestly can't remember the last time i cried. (i'm too strong to allow myself to cry) I guess I just learned how to block every emotion I have and now I want them back.

Well, that's pretty sad... losing that ability. Can you dwell on that for a while? You must be a male. How old are you? ... in general terms. Many men between 20-30 are carefully holding themselves in. Are you genuinely sad, or just wishing to regain those emotions?

Possibly changing your signature temporarily to something that would make you feel less "defended" is a step in the ight direction. Affirmations can work for you or against you.

I am a 20 year old female. I usually just fake being happy, and well i'm sick of it, I want to just be happy. I've always just bottled myself up. I have a tough exterior, but a sensitive interior thats just dying to come out but can't break through my hard shell.

I was thinking about the time I slammed my hand in the car door!!

Hmmm - there are "body-work" people - like Radix - and, no doubt, a score of others (psycho-peristaltic massage is another which comes to mind) who say they work with unblocking emotions in the body. You might like to have a look at that area, if you are into therapy at all - watch the nutsos, though...(mind you, as a very cerebral therapist I find that just creating space for people to think about stuff seems to unblock just fine!)

Otherwise, have you tried another channel?

How about yelling - maybe in your car, with music turned up way loud? (Gotta pull over if you get overwhelmed, though) or into a pillow - or somewhere where nobody will think you are nuts!

Or - punching pillows, or a punching bag, and yelling as you do that?

Or dancing?

Thing is that, if you learned to shut down via trauma, it can be pretty awful when you stop shutting down - ie if it is trauma-related, it can put you right back where you were at the time of the event/s that you needed to shut down from. This is a terrible shock to people and can leave you in a bad state eg flashbacks, nightmares, feeling like you're going nuts - even feeling suicidal.

If this is the type of thing that happened for you, I would seriously advise some professional support. Or - at the very least making sure there are very good friends available to really support you.

I do not mean to make unwarranted assumptions, I am just thinking of worst case stuff, just in CASE that is relevant. Hope that was not untoward.

Singing is a damned good release, all on its own too, you know...

Do not slam your hand in the door. Trust me on this. Pain is not your friend.

So, this is good, Stands Up... getting you to cry will be a lot easier because you are a woman. Be proud of your emotions, most men can't trust themselves to have them. I like your new signature line, too.

I think you should watch some of those films. Instead of thinking of yourself as too strong to cry, think of yourself as strong enough to let your feelings show. A hard shell shows that your emotions are there, just below the surface.

Gaze at yourself in the mirror and repeat this mantra several times over the course of the weekend...



I thought of another movie that made me cry... My Life as a House. Try not to watch these movies with someone else who might break the spell.

Here's a funny story. I always cry at weddings. There is so much emotion running wild, everyone has high hopes and lots of worries. Even listening to the traditional wedding march (Lohengrin's Bridal Chorus...dah dummm da dum) makes me feel teary. One of my sisters was getting married and I didn't want to cry through her ceremony so I played that darn song over and over again, trying to get bored with it. LOL -- she used Handel's Water Music instead.

I think Montana was on to something with the animals. Pick up a copy of "Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover's Soul." Someone gave me the book, which I probably would not have bought for myself.
I don't cry easily, but those stories just tear me up.

Let it come naturally. The right time will present itself.

I have the opposite problem. I cry too often, I'm a freaking fountain.

That said, movies tend to make me cry. Here are some real tearjerkers:

The Princess and the Warrior
Falling down (some think this is a comedy... I thought it was a tragedy...)
Raise the Red Lantern

You could also try volunteering at sad places, like a hospice perhaps.

Why so desperate to cry? Got clogged tear ducts ?

Well just to update you all after the weekend. I was able to shed some tears, but as much as I tried to keep them flowing they just stopped. Anyway i'm going to continue to train myself. Thanks for all your input.

yep I watched Simon Birch last night went from laughing my guts our to crying

Certain songs get me choked up. Usually because they resonate with something that happened to me. Kind of embarrassing to start singing along with a song on the car radio and then just stop because of the emotions it dredges up.

Well I have finally regained the ability to cry, I havn't mastered it yet, but i'm happy with how it's goin. I am starting to feel happy now, more then i ever have. Thanks for all the great advise.