Guys, it's ok to cry!

We have always been told - real men don't cry. The male stereotype in most cultures is one who stoically bears his lot, unflinching as he goes through life's changes, all without shedding a single tear. Men just are not supposed to be like the fairer sex, giving vent to their feelings.

Let us now disabuse men of this notion and make a statement: it is OK for a man to cry, weep and howl in despair. It is perhaps as healthy as smiling when you are happy.

It is all very well if you are the retentive types and can hold on to grief, sadness and lament without screaming your guts out. However, for most it is dangerous for mental health to not allow pain to surface in the form of tears. It is nature's own mechanism that enables us to come to terms with whatever bothers us.

When you store it all in and then follow some edict which forbids you to even show your grief, then chances are that it will get repressed and come out in some undesired shadowy form and reflect in your behaviour somewhere or the other.

Crying also helps us come to terms with facts and helps us in letting go. When you cry over something it generally means the mind or emotions are hurting and seeking release. Crying is thus nature's cleanser which helps us get over tragedies or setbacks. At its simplest, crying is an indication that something is bothering you and that you need to express it.

So, if you are a man who readily gets touched by any sadness or beauty, and it moves you to tears, then by all means acknowledge your feelings and let the floodgates flow.

To weep is to make less the depth of grief.