Crying is innately human. Tears may show up when you’re sad, frustrated, proud, or even happy. In reasonable amounts, crying is natural and healthy. But if you’re asking yourself, “Why am I crying so much?” or you find yourself on the edge of tears every day, something deeper may be going on with your mental health.
Common Reasons for Constant Crying
Sometimes, crying is tied to an event in your life:
- Grief and loss: Losing a loved one can cause intense, frequent crying that comes in waves. One day, you feel almost back to normal. The next day, a song, aroma, or random memory makes you burst into tears.
- Breakups, divorce, and relationship stress: The end of a relationship can hit your sense of safety and identity. Even if the breakup was “for the best,” constant crying may be your mind’s way of processing this huge change.
- Burnout and chronic stress: Losing your job, moving, parenting struggles, caring for a sick family member, or ongoing conflict may keep your tears close to the surface.
In these emotional times, crying is a normal response. It only becomes concerning when the intensity doesn’t ease with time, or you start to feel hopeless, numb, or unable to function.
Less Obvious Emotional Crying Causes
Sometimes, everything looks fine on the outside. You have a job, a roof over your head, and a network of supportive friends and family. Yet the tears keep coming. This may leave you wondering, “Why do I feel so emotional when everything’s going well?”
Some less obvious causes of emotional crying include:
- Hormonal changes: Shifts in estrogen and progesterone can affect mood and tearfulness. These changes are associated with menstrual cycles, pregnancy, menopause, and starting, stopping, or changing birth control methods.
- Physical health and medications: Lack of sleep, chronic pain, low blood sugar, thyroid disorders, and certain medications can make tears come more easily.
- Neurological conditions: People with a history of stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or dementia may be more prone to sudden crying spells triggered by a rare condition called pseudobulbar affect. This is when crying or laughing comes on suddenly and feels out of proportion to the situation.
When Crying Might Signal a Mental Health Condition
Frequent crying is a symptom of several mental health conditions, especially when additional symptoms appear alongside it. Examples include:
- Major depressive disorder: Some people with depression cry all the time. Others feel flat and rarely cry, even when they want to.
- Anxiety and panic disorders: Intense worry, panic attacks, and significant mood swings can lead to frequent tears. You may feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, or easily frustrated, and crying is the release valve.
- Trauma and unresolved grief: If you’ve lived through trauma or a complicated loss, your emotional system may stay on high alert. Certain reminders can trigger sudden tears even years later.
How to Stop Crying Frequently Without Stuffing Your Feelings
Crying itself is not the enemy. The goal is to get to the root of what you feel and reduce bouts of constant, exhausting crying. Here are some ideas:
- Pause and breathe: Slow, deep breaths can calm your nervous system. Inhale through your nose, hold, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
- Name the feeling: Swap “I’m a mess” for “I feel sad,” “I feel scared,” or “I feel overwhelmed.” Labeling emotions reduces their intensity and helps you understand why you feel so emotional.
- Check your basic needs: Ask yourself, have I eaten? Slept at least a little? Kept up with hydration? Even something as little as eating a snack, taking a drink, or stretching for five minutes can help your body feel more stable.
- Ground yourself: Look around and name five things you see, four things you touch, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. This pulls you out of your racing thoughts and helps the tears slow down.
- Journal the pattern: Keep a simple log of every time you cry, what was happening, and what you were thinking. Over a week or two, you may see patterns in your emotional crying that are not obvious in the moment.
- Cry with someone safe: When crying connects you with a trusted friend or family member, it becomes more healing than draining.
- Consider professional help: If you notice a pattern of constant crying plus other mental health symptoms, it’s worth talking with a professional. Online or in-person psychiatric care can help you explore reasons for constant crying and create a plan to combat it.
Reach Out for Extra Support
Mindwell Urgent Care offers timely mental health care with next-day appointments, so you don’t have to wait months for help. We provide patient-centered care in a safe environment and accept self-pay and Medicare. Our board-certified providers are ready to assist with compassionate, individualized support. We invite you to schedule an evaluation with one of our psychiatric mental health experts through in-person visits at our Dallas, TX, office or via secure telepsychiatric virtual appointments for residents in Texas, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Florida, and Kansas.