I feel grateful when I can cry. It's a huge release of stress and I always feel better afterwards. Tears are useful for a few things and there are 3 different types.
Basal tears keep our eyes lubricated.
Reactive tears happen when our eyes are irritated or when we get something stuck in them. Grit, dust etc.
Emotive tears happen when we feel emotion. Happiness, sadness etc. These tears are often thicker and easier to see on our face. This is to signal for support.
These tears contain more protein, adrenaline and cortisol, so we literally leak stress hormones out of our body when we're sad or stressed.
Why have we been socialised to say "Don't cry."? We shouldn't feel shame for our tears. I don't enjoy being sad, and I still instinctively feel embarrassed if I'm crying in public, but I do feel relieved when I've been able to cry. 