I can't cry anymore

I would say you could:
-Talk to a therapist
-Look it up via Google
-Listen to music that makes you cry (not want to die, just cry)
-Read a book that made you cry once
-Pray (if you think it'll help)
-Watch a movie that is recommended to make you cry
-Find someone supportive to talk to and see if the tears fall

idk what else to do, but I understand a little. I'm a bit disturbed that I can't cry over books like I used to.

 

Here are some key questions;
1) When do you feel like crying? Is it due to a certain situation, a memory or a specific trigger?
2) Are you afraid to "Let go of" a lifelong resentment, a trauma or feelings that you have not addressed when the resentment, hurt, trauma (or whatever) occured?
3) Do you feel like crying frequently?
4) Is this a new problem or have you "always held back your tears" in fear of appearing weak, fragile, vulnerable or whatever?

Crying is cleansing. If you live your life in denial, suppressing normal human emotions, or venting them in negative, potentially harmful ways, one day you might experience a major meltdown.
Personally, I would get a complete physical, get my eyes checked out. Then, I would seek out a Mental Health Professional and get to the nucleus of the problem.

You are not alone. My closest friend had the same problem. Many People have been conditioned "Not to Cry", "Not to express emotions" infinitum....
Good Luck & I hope you get the help that you need.

 

I have the same problem. I have occasional desire to cry but I just can't. This might happen when I empathize with someone who has gone through something bad or it might be triggered by smells of perfume, some concepts or ideas, music or sounds or even old pictures.

In my case it's probably due to unhealthy subconscious effort to suppress bad memories and emotions connected to those memories. Last time this happened was yesterday when I was talking to friend who talked about marital problems to with her husband and that they are on the verge of a divorce.

 

I have the exact same problem. I think it's because I push my emotions down so much that when I try to bring them back up, I can't. Even at night when I really need to cry, I usually can't.

 

Hey Cody I'm sorry to hear it's been rough, we're all here for you. Anyways in regards to the feelings of numbness and being unable to cry I completely understand.

There can be a number of reasons for this including an emotional distancing from stressful situations or aspects of your life (in other words, you might be able to feel and acknowledge stress but cannot quite connect fully to it, hence the distance), or maybe an unconscious restraint from crying out of self consciousness or fear of something. It might just be an internal wall that's been built to deal with stress. I've found that sometimes if there's too much on your mind or there have been a lot of things for you to process and go through lately, it can overwhelm and you automatically might repress or numb yourself to some of it to cope, even if that is unconscious and simply reflexive. It doesn't make it better, and you still might feel but be unable to fully express or release all that emotion, which isn't healthy. Is this a long term thing or just recently? If it is long term maybe there are deeper reasons why you can't cry apart from more current ones, perhaps from childhood or how you were taught/learned to deal with emotions growing up. I'm just speculating though, from a completely personal standpoint. There may be many reasons for why you're feeling this way, but understanding it can help. You've already started that by talking about it on here, which is good.

I suggest, if possible, to speak with a trusted therapist or counsellor, a place where you can talk fully and honestly about everything in your life. Things that are bothering you can be more easily laid on the table-even things you don't consciously realize, but your subconscious is dealing with in the background. Sorting through some of the core reasons behind it can help you be able to cry and connect with the emotion better.

As for emotional release, I suggest writing. It's simple but it has been helpful over the years for me. A private, confidential, secure place, whether on paper or on computer, where you can write down every single thing on your mind, from the most mundane irritations to bigger issues in your life-no need for any grammatical accuracy or coherency, simply to put everything down. Not only can this put some of what might be bothering you in black and white rather than keeping it all in your mind, it is a good release, and if you do decide to speak to a therapist, you can use some of the things you've written as a starting point for discussion. I also suggest too listening to music, or watching movies, TV shows, or reading particularly moving books, as mentioned by Mr Spock, all of which can redirect your emotions and give you a place to express them through another channel.

Best of luck my friend (*hug*)

 

First, the thread's title is a very good song by Sheryl Crow.
I should have told you first 'I'm so sorry'? No, I don't think so, and let me explain...

I used to cry a lot too, and due to many reasons I simply quit. Why? Who knows? Is it healthy? As long as it's not making me feel ill or suffer, I think it's normal, and even better if you think that when we cry we are not feeling ok. There are tears of happiness, and I still cry those from time to time, they didn't went away.

Yes, there is certainly a feeling of uneasiness together with the obligatory question to the self 'Am I turning into a psycho?' or 'What is with me? I used to cry, but now...'

There are many ways to deal with sadness. Just write it all down, or talk to a friend. The fact that you cry tears don't always mean you are really hurting. Quite a lot of people are perfectly capable of crying tears, and putting a show, and they don't give a damn.

How you express your feelings doesn't need to fit into the norm. Some get drunk, some talk, some smash things, some go out and dance, some call a friend and talk for hours, and some cry. You tell me which one is the normal, healthy, acceptable way...

I used to feel like you, until I realized, it's my way of dealing with it, and I'm ok with that.