I Just Want to Cry

Have you ever had one of those days where there’re just no words that can be articulated to truly express how you really feel? You don’t even know if you’re sad, upset, disappointed, frustrated, confused, overwhelmed or just plain tired. All you know is that it’s not good and you just feel like you want to cry.

So, at some point during the day, you sit down and decide you’re just going to let the tears flow. You’re in position, you have your tissues, and you can’t even muster up one tear. Now, on top of everything else you can’t explain, you can’t even seem to conjure up the one thing you thought might bring at least a little relief to this unexplainable emotional state.

There are an infinite number of things that can get a person to this point. The catalyst behind such a state of being is different for different people. Whatever the case may be, here are a few simple things that may bring you a little relief.

Find someone to share your life with. God never intended for us to do life alone. Often times we get to the point where we feel like we want to cry for no reason when we don’t have anyone in our lives we can talk to. I’m not referring to talking about the weather or surface-level small talk. I’m talking about intimate, transparent, real conversation. Many times, simply getting all those thoughts out and expressing those bottled-up emotions will provide the relief you’re looking for. Now, please use wisdom. I’m in no way suggesting you go and spill your guts to every person who’s willing to listen; nor am I suggesting you take up five hours of someone’s day going on and on and having a pity party. Sure, there may be times where something happens and it may take a little longer than usual to express yourself, but if you have a trusted confidant in your life like your spouse, close friend, family member or even a counselor that you can talk to on a regular basis; it would help minimize these times of emotional instability.

Stop trying to figure everything out on your own. The beauty of serving an all-knowing God is that there’s really nothing about our lives that we need to spend extensive periods of time trying to figure out. Overanalyzing is agonizing. If The One Who created you already has a plan for your life, why should you waste time trying to create a new one? Just ask Him to reveal His plan to you and follow it. Sure, it may be challenging, but it won’t be crippling.

Stop carrying unnecessary weight. In Matthew 11, Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burdens are light. So, to me that suggests if I’m carrying anything heavy, it’s not of Him. Psalm 55:22 instructs us to give our burdens to the Lord. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our care on Him. If we actually obey these instructions, there would be nothing heavy for us to carry. A lot of the weariness we experience is from the exhaustion of carrying what we should be casting. 

Do something you enjoy. You would not imagine how many people don’t even know what it is they really like to do. So many of our days are focused on what we have to do, that we end up with little to no time to explore the types of things we enjoy doing. If this is you, start by simply doing one little thing different each day until you stumble upon something you actually enjoy. The more you do this, the more days you’ll find yourself in joy rather than in sorrow,

Laugh. The Bible says laughter does the body good like a medicine. So, why not take a daily dose? If you’re surrounded by seriousness all day every day, you need to pause and find a reason to laugh. Hang out with a hysterical friend, watch a comedy show, reminisce about something funny you’ve laughed about before. If all else fails, just laugh at yourself! We take ourselves much too seriously. If we would just lighten up a little bit, we would recognize there are laughable things all around us. If you happen to be one of the ones that just doesn’t seem to find too much of anything funny, then just go through the motions of laughing. Research shows that your body will experience the same benefits from artificial laughter as it does from genuine laughter. Try it. If you pretend to be laughing long enough, eventually you will be genuinely laughing at yourself.

Sleep. I’m not talking about sleep in an attempt to avoid the realities of life. I’m referring to the necessary restorative sleep that your body needs to function properly. If you aren’t consistently getting six to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, you need to make some adjustments in your schedule so you can. Trust me… Your body will cry out when it’s sleep deprived.

Go to the doctor. If this is something you’re feeling on a regular basis, you could be experiencing some type of hormonal imbalance or other physical or emotional condition. You may want to check with your doctor just to make sure everything is okay.

Get in the Word of God. Whether we care to admit it or not, we all want supernatural things to happen in our lives but not all of us are willing to stay connected to the supernatural power source. If the reason you’re feeling like you just want to cry for no particular reason is a spiritual issue, then you’re going to need the Holy Spirit to help you fix it. You will never be able to fix a spiritual problem with natural remedies. Reading your Bible is one of the best ways to get to know your heavenly Father better and develop your relationship with Him. The more intimate your relationship with Him becomes, the more you will come to know how much He loves you and the amazing promises He has made to you. You will become more in tune to His voice and He will personally guide you through the supernatural instructions you need to follow in order to get through this.

Pray. Prayer should never be a last resort. It should be the first thing we turn to. Have a conversation with your Creator. Cast all your cares on Him. Seek comfort from the Holy Spirit. He will turn your mourning into joy!

Take a praise break.  One of the quickest ways to shake off any oppressive thoughts or feelings is to praise God for who He is and for all He has done in your life. Misery and despair cannot coexist with gratitude and praise. So go ahead, shout it from the mountaintop, and don’t stop until you get a breakthrough!

To go even deeper, get your copy of one or all of our Everyday Wisdom Book Series and subscribe to our Everyday Wisdom Podcast.