this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
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Mental Health

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I have chronic anxiety and PTSD from my time in the service. When the pressure in my chest gets two great. I end up watching a Sad movie and just ugly cry and I get relief for a few hours. Like as in zero symptoms then it all rushes back like someone is filling my lungs with water but it's better for about a month give or take .

Then I do the whole thing over again. Schindler's List and Grave of the fireflies are my go to's.

I'm a dude that has no problem crying but I do have a hard time feeling things. Disassociating is a bad habit I picked up when I was in the army so I just slip into it without realizing and have to work my way out of it.

My question is the act of crying tears running down my face feeling my tear ducts flushed afterwards really a release or is something else going on here?

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[–] pixelmeow@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Pete Walker’s website is a great resource.

Pete Walker’s website

[–] Godort@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31282699/

Crying has been shown in this study to have a positive effect on people, showing reduced cortisol levels among the people who cried.

That being said, you probably still want to talk with a real therapist about this, rather than relying on Internet strangers and sad movies

[–] snack_pack_rodriguez@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

Yeah I have a full time therapist was just looking for a different point of view. She just said there is no harm in it. IFS and cognitive behavioral therapy have helped me come a long way.

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 3 points 1 month ago

Sounds like a release to me. It’s really hard for me to cry unless something really hits me. Crying often feels good.

[–] viking@infosec.pub 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Crying is a physical reaction to mental stimulation. Doesn't matter whether the stimulation is positive (happiness, fun, success...) or negative (trauma, sadness, failure...).

Crying also exhausts your body, so in a way it can influence your mood by wearing/tiring you out; but it's not a 'cure' in itself.

[–] snack_pack_rodriguez@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

Interesing so the feeling of my lungs filling up is me resting and getting my strength back after bottoming out and thus my anxiety starts coming back like a tsunami.