In our society, crying is often viewed as a sign of weakness. When we face hardships in life, we’re supposed to keep our chin up and take whatever comes at us. As someone who is on the sensitive side, however, I find it difficult to keep my emotions at bay. Whenever I’m upset, no matter how big or small the situation is, sometimes all I want to do is cry.
As I mentioned in my article about dealing with social anxiety, my first semester of freshman year wasn’t exactly the greatest. I cried almost every day for two weeks; it was rather exhausting, but after a thorough crying session, I always felt a bit better. Crying helped me clear my head and release tons of pent up stress from my body.
Even so, I didn’t consider just how important crying was until the past week. What helped me realize its importance was a song from one of my favorite artists, Luna. She’s a member of my favorite K-Pop group, f(x); while the group has been on hiatus, she’s released a number of solo songs over the past few years.
One of these songs is “Even So,” a self-written, R&B track released in January of 2019. I’ve listened to the song ever since its release, but it wasn’t until this past week that I took in the lyrics. I’d read them before, of course, but after reminding myself just how powerful and gut-wrenching they are, it made me reconsider my views on crying.
In “Even So,” all Luna wants to do is be alone and cry; she’s usually able to brush off negative feelings, but today, her tears are too heavy. She laments that even if crying won’t make much of a difference, there’s no reason to let the feelings build-up inside.
The lyrics made me think back to those two weeks during freshman year, when I secluded myself to my dorm room and did nothing but cry my heart out. It was a lonely experience, but it helped; it really, really did.
If you’re someone who feels bad about crying, or you’ve been told by those around you that it’s a sign of weakness, don’t feel bad. It’s not possible for human beings to be strong and happy all the time. As much as we don’t want to realize it, negative emotions are necessary in life. It’s okay to cry; you’re not a bad person for it.
If you’d like to listen to Luna’s “Even So,” listen to it on Spotify or check out the official music video on YouTube below.