Crazy thing is that I literally just connected that dot in this thread thinking out loud. I never once had the thought that expressing my emotions was unsafe, I just kind of took that feedback onboard and proceeded to not process grief for two decades.

You’re fine. I didn’t cry for years, maybe a decade+. Not because of any macho idealism, I simply didn’t.

Feels good when I do drop that oxytocin. That positive feedback led me to crying more often.

LOL, I’m not a whimpering mess, but I can let loose more easily, and that’s a good thing.