The Power of Tears

The more self-aware I become of my emotions and accept all of them, the more I understand myself.

For the longest time, I associated tears with sadness. 

A broken heart, we cry. 

Losing a pet, we cry. 

Someone passes away, we cry. 

Watching a drama, we cry. 

And those old AT&T commercials… (if you know, you know).

Only recently have I recognized how deeply I feel emotions—the so-called “good” ones and “bad” ones.

‍Redefining Emotions to Combat Caregiver Overwhelm

I have lots of unlearning to do in this area. I’m working to move away from labeling feelings as “good” or “bad” because emotions are simply my internal GPS. They let me know how I’m doing at the moment.

While I may not always like how I’m feeling and sometimes want to push those feelings away (hello, unworthiness and jealousy), I now know that I have the tools to work through any emotion that arises. Hint: It can be as simple as acknowledging the emotion and bathing it in love and compassion.

‍Tears as a Release for Caregivers Facing Burnout

It has taken me a while to embrace the fact that crying is one of the best ways for me to release intense emotions. Here are some examples:

• Thinking about my kids brings tears of love.
• Seeing a full moon shining brightly in the dark sky brings tears of wonder.
• Watching an elderly couple share a tender moment brings tears of beauty.

Sometimes, these tears catch me off guard—especially when I’m out in public. But I’m learning to breathe through them.

Learning to love all parts of myself is the lesson that my tears teach me.

‍Radical Acceptance: Breaking Free from Caregiver Stress

Recently, in a coaching session, my client shared that she knows all of this intellectually but still needs to learn how to feel it. Another caregiver admitted that she views crying as a weakness and doesn’t allow herself to cry. She added that she’s scared of what might happen if she lets herself feel. What if, she wondered, she never stops crying?

This is fear talking. I know this from personal experience. For 40 years, I suppressed my emotions. While it felt scary to open Pandora’s box and release all those emotions I had been ignoring, hiding, and suppressing, I found peace and contentment on the other side.

‍Lighter and More Peaceful: Emotional Freedom for Caregivers

I feel lighter and more peaceful now that I’ve released so much of the negative energy stored in my body. We often think we’re doing ourselves a favour by ignoring or hiding rage, resentment, and worry. But it doesn’t truly disappear. It lingers.

Now when I cry, I thank my tears. I say, “Thank you for releasing this energy from my body and helping me stay peaceful.”

‍You Are Not Alone: Support for Overwhelmed Caregivers

I hope I’ve given you something to think about. Please reach out if you want support in this area. As caregivers, we have many emotions to process. You are not alone.

‍