For me, it wasn't so much about crying, but the feeling that I might become overwhelmed, sucked under, by the emotion behind the crying. Therefore, I exerted a lot of effort/control and avoided a lot of stuff to stave off that fear.

I remember the first time I expressed very raw emotions in therapy. An electrical transformer blew out on the block. There was a very loud bang and the power went out. I convinced myself that the extreme emotion I felt caused it (no one ever said that I wasn't CRAZY!).

Looking back on it, I think that was a pretty typical response to the emotion (me thinking I caused a problem, not the transformer blowing).

But, it's just emotion you know? It's just a feeling. It's okay to feel it. It's not going to overwhelm you or hurt you (or anyone else).

It is what it is. No more, no less.

It's more about what's causing the emotion in the long run.