Did you now that frequent crying spells are considered one of the strangest signs of a health issue?
Short bursts of spontaneous, out-of-nowhere or sometimes even anxiety-provoked teariness tend to strike when you’re just going about your life.
According to Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D., a Los Angeles–based psychologist specializing in relationships and self-esteem “Crying spells can have a physical cause, but they also indicate that you’re built up a lot of subconscious emotions you aren’t processing,”
If you start crying for no apparent reason, this list can help you decode the health issue behind it, and what can you do about it!
Your PMS can make you weepy
During the days leading up to your period, your levels of estrogen and progesterone swing up and down, brain chemicals responsible for mood are affected, and that can trigger irritability, moodiness, and of course sudden outbursts of crying.
And if you’re already under tremendous stress or you are anxious, PMS can magnify those feelings and make your crying even worse, says psychologist Thomas.
Depression can provoke tears
All of us crying because we are sad, but if unexplained feelings of sadness persist for at least a couple of weeks and are a sign of clinical depression, the condition also reveals itself in other ways.
Yvonne Thomas explains that “Many women display depression as frustration, anger, or irritability,” and “Each of these emotions can result in tears, so if you experience them, see your doctor for a depression screening, even if you don’t necessarily feel down.”
You are under tremendous stress
Okay, we’re all stressed. But if you aren’t managing work and life pressures well and instead sweep tension under the rug, it’s no surprise if you’re occasionally exploding in tears, says Thomas.
Though being stressed itself isn’t a formal medical condition, excessive stress can make physical problems worse or even lead to some chronic diseases, from minor digestive distress to heart disease.
Anxitey can make you cry
“Anxiety disorders are not uncommon among women, and the all the emotion they cause can result in frequent explosions of tears, even when you’re not feeling panicky,” says Yvonne.
If you find yourself in panic mode often, with a racing heart, butterflies in your stomach, and extreme self-consciousness that limits your participation in normal life? Your anxiety issues might be the reason you’re weepy.