Ask an adult when they last cried properly, and watch them calculate in years.
Somewhere along the way, we learned that tears are a malfunction. So we developed an alternative: worry. Endless, respectable, dry-eyed worry.
But the two are connected more than we admit.
Here is what I've observed: people who cannot release emotion downward — through tears, expression, movement — often release it upward, into rumination.
Sometimes the dryness came from childhood rules. Sometimes from workplaces where feeling is a liability. Sometimes from simply being the strong one for too long. The circling thoughts look the same.
When did you last let something actually finish?
Watch, read or listen to something that once moved you — and don't manage your reaction. If tears come, let them complete their work.
Worry that dominates most days, disturbs sleep, or feels uncontrollable is anxiety worth treating professionally. Relief exists.