Crying is a natural response when emotions are running high. However, crying in certain situations can be pointless and unproductive, such as when dealing with conflict at work or when you have to be strict with other people. There are several ways to control when and how often you need to cry, such as staying away from problems, engaging in physical activity, or changing your lifestyle to stay healthy.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Keeping Away from the Source of the Problem
Step 1. Take a few deep breaths
Breathing deeply will make your body relax again because this method can relieve tension that if allowed to continue to build up will make you cry. Focus on the breath by inhaling and exhaling slowly for a count of 4.
Step 2. Turn your gaze to the side
If you feel like crying while chatting, look elsewhere for a moment. Gaze intently at a specific object on the wall or your hand. Even if it's only for a moment, try to distract yourself from the current situation to calm your mind.
Step 3. Avoid problematic situations
Free yourself from problematic situations or people that make you want to cry to give yourself a chance to be alone to calm your mind so you don't cry.
Step 4. Try walking
Go for a walk to get away from situations that make you want to cry. Pay attention to the movement of your arms and legs as you adjust the rhythm of your breath.
Don't go to the bathroom if you want to stop crying because your crying will only get worse
Step 5. Turn your attention to another object
Read a magazine or watch a funny video to get rid of the feelings that made you cry. Focus on what you read or watch in detail. Comment by saying to yourself, for example, "That shirt is so beautiful" or "I can't believe a cat can jump that high."
Method 2 of 5: Changing the Way You Respond
Step 1. Smile
You can overcome negative feelings by forcing yourself to smile when you feel otherwise. Even if it's just pretending, smiling can improve your mood and relieve stress because it can trick your brain into thinking you're feeling happy.
Step 2. Keep your facial expression neutral
Relax the wrinkled forehead, mouth, and tense cheeks. Keeping your facial expression neutral can help you hold back tears.
Step 3. Change your emotions to make you feel angry
Often times, you start to cry because you are trying to stay in a real emotional state. Getting angry during a fight is usually considered inappropriate, while the adrenaline that starts to flow actually calms the anger that triggers crying. Allow anger to emerge and show your anger.
- Women generally consider angry behavior as forbidden so that they are not looked down upon. Ignore these feelings and let your anger out.
- Don't be aggressive when you show you're angry. Saying, "I'm mad that I couldn't participate fully" is enough to help you express your feelings and hold back tears.
Step 4. Prepare what you want to say
Prepare responses to specific situations. For example, if you cry easily when your boss criticizes you, think about what you want to say to be ready to respond. Even if it's pre-arranged, you won't cry if you're prepared for your response.
Method 3 of 5: Using Physical Assistance
Step 1. Pinch yourself
Distract yourself from the urge to cry by making your body feel a little uncomfortable. Pinch your arm to take your mind off the urge to cry.
Step 2. Use another method, which is to bite the inner cheek (gently, so as not to hurt)
Or, press your fingernail into the palm of your hand.
Step 3. Pinch the bridge of your nose
Press the bridge of the nose near the tip of the eye using your thumb and forefinger. This will block the tear ducts so they don't appear to be crying.
Step 4. Open your eyes wide while looking up
Eyeballs will dry if they are opened wide. Tears will come back into your eyelids if you open your eyes wide while looking up.
Step 5. Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth
Try to hold back tears by tightening your mouth muscles while pressing your tongue up.
Step 6. Make a swallowing motion
The throat muscles contract when you swallow and open when you cry. So, you can hold back tears by doing a swallowing motion.,
Drinking water can also have the same effect
Method 4 of 5: Changing Habits to Maintain Health
Step 1. Get used to exercising
Jogging or cycling can keep you away from situations that trigger crying. Exercising will increase the flow of oxygen to the brain and produce endorphins that make you calm.
Step 2. Eat nutrient-rich foods
Get used to eating healthy foods so that your body is energized and stronger to deal with negative feelings. Get enough protein and reduce your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates.
- Get in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast every morning to keep your blood sugar levels and emotions stable.
- Increase the intake of folic acid contained in green leafy vegetables.
Step 3. Get enough rest
High emotions are usually difficult to deal with when you are tired. Lack of sleep makes it difficult for you to hold back tears. Get used to sleep 7-8 hours a night so that the condition of the nerves is maintained and can work properly.
Method 5 of 5: Doing the Other Way
Step 1. Consult a counselor
Ask a professional to help you figure out why you cry in certain situations. A counselor can help you find better ways to communicate so you don't cry. He or she can also find out what makes you cry.
Step 2. Talk to a good friend or family member
Rely on someone you can trust to talk about issues that make you cry. Whether it's a conflict at work or a relationship issue, you can get input by talking about it.
Step 3. Keep a personal journal
Writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal can be therapeutic because it expresses and recognizes your feelings. This method is very useful for dealing with stressors in your life as well as being useful as a way to control the crying that you have been trying to avoid.
Step 4. Try acupressure therapy
Acupressure is a healing method from China which is done by pressing certain points on the body to provide calm and cure certain health disorders. Try acupressure therapy to relieve the anxiety that usually causes a person to cry involuntarily.
- Press the point right between the eyebrows for 1-3 minutes.
- Press the inside of the wrist. Place three fingers on the wrist with the ring finger in the crease of the wrist. Feel the gap between the two tendons under the index finger. Press this section to get rid of anxiety and the habit of crying.
- Squeeze the muscle between your thumb and forefinger.
Tips
- Don't beat yourself up if you cry a lot in public. Crying is a natural response to intense emotions. When you cry, your body produces stress-fighting hormones that make you feel relaxed and calm.
- Instead of trying to break the habit of crying, try putting it off. You need to be able to deal with the feelings that come up, and crying afterward will really help with recovery.
