Tears can occur for many physical reasons, such as pain or an eye irritation. However, human beings are the only living creatures who produce emotional tears as well. For people, crying is a natural way for the body to release tension and stress. But if you’re crying frequently, uncontrollably or unexpectedly and don’t know the reason behind your tears, there may be something more going on.

Most likely, there is a root cause for why you’re crying, but you may not immediately know what that cause is. Spontaneous bouts of crying can be caused by stress, overwhelm, depression or anxiety. When we repress those intense feelings, they build up in the body. This can cause spontaneous crying once you’re fully overwhelmed. Let’s walk through some common reasons you may be crying unexpectedly and how to deal with those overwhelming emotions.

Reasons you may be crying unexpectedly or often

Whether conscious or subconscious, repressing your emotions can make them come out more strongly at a seemingly random time. Here are some possible reasons you may be dealing with unexpected tears:

• Stress or overwhelm — Stress can be easy to ignore in the moment, but as it builds, it may cause bouts of unexpected crying. It can even contribute to other health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, gastrointestinal problems and even chronic pain. 
•  Depression — If you’re experiencing depression, it may cause you to cry for no apparent reason. Depression can increase gradually, so you may not realize how depressed you actually are. Unexpected tears can be your body’s way of letting you know that the symptoms of your depression are weighing you down without you noticing.
• Fatigue — When you don’t get the amount of rest you need, you’re running on limited energy. If you keep pushing your body without giving it a chance to rest and catch up on that lost energy, you may start to feel:
• Irrational
• Emotional
• Frustrated
• Difficulty getting through the day

If you’re overly fatigued, it’s very possible that you could end up crying for no apparent reason.

• Anxiety — Anxiety can cause intense feelings, such as extreme worry, nervousness or a sense of impending doom. These intense feelings may be a source of random emotional distress or tears. If your anxiety is causing you to experience these intense bouts of emotion, you may need to talk to your health care provider about getting more help for your disorder.
• Grief and loss — Grief can be a frequent source of crying. However, it may also cause crying at unexpected moments even if you don’t necessarily feel grief at that time. Grieving is a nonlinear process for most people, so your sadness may be delayed or appear unexpectedly. You can’t always control how grief affects you, but honoring your feelings is important.
• Hormonal imbalances — For people of childbearing age who have a menstrual cycle, pregnancy or premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can cause or trigger crying at random. Elevated hormones such as estrogen and progesterone can impact your mood drastically. This can cause unexpected crying, irritation or general emotional overwhelm.
• Sickness — Sickness can be stressful and exhausting and take a toll on your mental and physical health. Between the symptoms of illness and possible social isolation, you may begin to feel sad for no apparent reason. Humans are social beings, and living in forced quarantine or without enough energy for social interaction can negatively impact your mental health. This can cause crying at unexpected moments.
• Pseudobulbar affect — Though this condition isn’t common, pseudobulbar affect can cause crying or laughing at inappropriate moments. It is generally caused by injuries or problems in the neurological system and may affect how the brain processes and expresses emotions. It may result in uncontrollable tears or laughter at inappropriate moments.

Tears are usually a sign that something is wrong, but you may not know what it is in the moment. Whatever the deeper reason is for your tears, it’s important to give yourself grace and allow yourself to feel those emotions so you can move past them. 

What to do about frequent crying

Sometimes crying is simply a release that your body needs. However, if unexpected bouts of crying are disruptive to your life, you may want to dig a little deeper as to why.

Psychotherapy is an excellent resource to talk through those big emotions so you can get to the heart of the issue. Your therapist can provide a listening ear and help you sort through those emotions so you can figure out what is causing those tears and how to resolve them.

Self-care and mindfulness exercises can also be a good way to help your body de-stress and release built-up emotion and tension. Some mindfulness exercises include:

• Yoga
• Journaling
• Exercise
• Deep breathing
• Meditation

Whatever path you choose to help you regulate your emotions, it’s important to find an outlet. Crying isn’t a bad thing. It’s simply your body’s way of letting you know that something isn’t right.

At Lightfully Behavioral Health, our licensed clinical experts are here to walk with you through those hard emotions and find healing and solutions to help you live a more emotionally balanced life.

When you’re ready to take the first step toward better mental health, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.