You may find yourself in a situation where it would be either inopportune or inappropriate to cry. This is often in public but may also be in private. You may also find that someone nearby is crying and you wish to help them. No matter the reason, there are a number of ways (both physical and mental) to stop tears in their tracks. There are also a number of ways to keep them from starting to begin with. Read below to find a number of suggestions to stop crying.
Method 1 of 5: Physical Quick Tricks
1Try blinking. Blinking quickly and repeatedly can stop tears from forming.Ad
2Pinch your nose. Pinching your nose can block the tear ducts and stop you from crying. This method works best if used before tears begin to flow.
3Breathe. Take deep, long, slow breaths. The increased oxygen will calm you and release the tension your body is building up.
4Create minor pain as a distraction. Creating physical pain will give the body another problem to deal with, making you less likely to cry. You can pinch yourself (such as between your thumb and pointer finger), bite your tongue, or pull your leg hairs from inside your pants pocket. Any method or more will do.
5Step back. Remove yourself from the situation, physically. You can take a literal step back or you can leave the room and return. Removing yourself allows you to refocus your emotions and removes the imminent threat of the situation.
- For example, you can take a physical step back from someone you’re having an argument with. Or, if you are visiting a dying relative, you can excuse yourself to the bathroom and try washing your face.
6Do physical activity. Doing rigorous physical activity is a great way to stop yourself from crying. This creates a situation where your body is too focused on other processes to devote resources to crying. You can try running, jumping, or even just walking very quickly.
Method 2 of 5: Mental Quick Tricks
1Use your mind. Generally, crying is a response to things that we think and feel. If the quick physical tricks above don't help, try some of these mental tricks which can be employed to stop tears in their tracks.
2Think about something happy or funny. Think about something other than the negative emotion you are currently feeling. You can think about something that makes you happy (like your child’s smile or a hug from your grandmother) or you can think of something that makes you laugh (like your favorite comedian or television show). This will force your brain to feel an emotion other than sadness or fear.
3Think about the situation from the outside. Depending on the situation, you can try to remove yourself and think about it from an outside perspective. This is especially helpful when your problems are ridiculous or ridiculously bad. Think about it as a story you will get to tell someone later on and laugh about.
4Distract yourself entirely. Do whatever you have to do to think about something else. Change the subject in your mind to something else altogether. You can do math problems in your head, think about what you want to cook for dinner, envision a place you want to travel, or anything else that is as far removed from the situation as you can muster.
Method 3 of 5: Dealing with the Root Cause
1Deal with the problem. Analyze why you are crying or what tends to cause you to cry. If there is a problem that is causing you stress or other unpleasant emotions then you should start by trying to fix the problem. Fixing your problems before they become unmanageable is the best way to prevent yourself from crying.
- Instead of procrastinating on homework and then crying when you can’t get it done on time, simply do the homework when it is meant to be done. Instead of going after the same type of girl who always ends up breaking your heart, try initiating a relationship with a different type of girl.
2Confront negative emotions. When you are sad, angry, or frustrated, don’t always distract yourself or not think about the problem. Find ways to make yourself feel better without ignoring the problem. In dealing with the emotions, your brain moves on and can focus on other things without residual stress. If the problems are not dealt with, they linger in your subconscious and continue to cause negative emotions and stress.  Practice this skill by confronting low-level negative emotions first, like removing a spider from your house rather than killing it.
3Remind yourself of all the good things in your life. Constantly reminding yourself of all of the wonderful things in your life will not only make you happier in general, it will help prevent strong negative emotions by teaching your brain that everything is okay.
4Spend time with stable people. If you are constantly surrounded by people who let drama and wild emotions dictate their life, you will be inclined to do the same. Humans are social creatures and we are very responsive to the emotional state of the people around us. In surrounding yourself with stable people, you too can become more stable.
5Seek help. Sometimes our problems are bigger than we can control on our own. It is important to know when to ask for help. Getting help when you need it will ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed and find yourself in a situation where you want to cry to begin with.
- If you suspect that you may be depressed, talk to you doctor. If you know you are depressed or have thoughts of suicide, get help immediately. These feelings are often the result of a chemical imbalance and cannot be defeated on our own. Get help before the situation becomes out of control.
- Evaluate why and how often you cry. Evaluate your overall mood over long periods of time. If it seems that you are sad too often, it may be a good idea to consult with a doctor.
Method 4 of 5: Stopping Infants or Children From Crying
1Know why infants cry. Infants frequently cry as a way of communicating. Since they cannot speak, they use crying as a method of alerting adults to their needs. When an infant is crying, first go through their basic needs to be sure that they are all met.
- Feed the baby, change the baby’s diaper, check to be sure that nothing is hurting them, and ensure that they are not too hot or cold. If all of these are accounted for, the baby is likely tired or needs attention.
2Try the bounce-sound method. Perhaps the easiest way to soothe a baby is to use the bounce-sound method. Holding the infant in your arms or at your shoulder, walk back and forth across the room while bouncing softly on your heels. You will need to keep your knees loose to do this properly. While you are doing this bounce motion, either sing to the child or make some repetitive sounds, like a shush or clicking of the tongue. Together these sound reassure the child or put it to sleep if it is tired.
3Help a child who is hurt. If a child or toddler is hurt, first evaluate how badly. Call an ambulance if necessary and perform basic first aid if it is not. Relieving a child’s pain, if serious, is the best way to stop their crying.
- If the injury is less serious, it is mainly important to distract them from the pain until it subsides. This can easily be done by refocusing their attention. Ask where they are hurt but ask about every part of their body except for where they are actually hurt. For example, if they bump their elbow, ask if they hurt their nose. Their knee. Their thumb. Their ears. This will force them to think about those body parts, rather than the one which hurts.
4Relieve a child who has gotten into a fight. Children will often cry as a result of a negative interaction with others, either an adult or a peer. When this occurs, try to resolve the situation by evaluating if the child’s complaint has merit and then helping them to correct it if necessary.
5Ignore a child who's suffering from a tantrum. Keep in mind that tantrums, uncontrollable crying and shouting used to express anger and get what they want, is a behavior that should be ignored. If your toddler or child is throwing a tantrum, do not give them what they want and pay as little attention to them as possible. This teaches them that emotional outburst is a poor way to get the things they want. It will also help them learn to cope with disappointment.
Method 5 of 5: Stopping Adults From Crying
1First, try to figure out if they are in physical pain. Help them if you can and get them medical attention if you cannot.
- If they are crying for another reason, be supportive and ask if they want help. Assure them that you are there for them and will make the problem better if there is anything you can do.
2Know that friends and family members often benefit from physical contact when they are crying. Putting an arm around their shoulders, tilting your heads together, or simply hugging them can help them to feel better.
3Tell them a story or a joke. This will get their mind onto something else. If funny, it may cause them to laugh, which will also help them stop crying.
4Let them cry. Generally, letting them cry while being supportive is the safest option.
5Help a stranger. People crying in public are often in need of help, though they may not feel comfortable or know how to ask for it. If you are willing to help another person, it is often a good idea to at least offer.
- Often people will refuse the help of a stranger but sometimes they just need someone to talk to and reassure them that everything will be fine. Sometimes people are physically injured, lost, or stranded. Even if someone refuses help, it often makes them feel better to simply have been asked as it shows them that someone cares about them.
- Keep in mind that while strangers will often refuse your help if offered, it is still possible that they may say yes and require real help. This may occupy several minutes to several hours of your time. Be prepared and willing to actually help them.
- If they indicate the the problem is a personal one with which you cannot help, you may attempt to make them feel better by distracting them entirely from their situation. Sing a random song, tell a joke, inform them of a strange factoid, or tell them a story. This will redirect their thoughts to something else and stop their crying.
- If they require more help than you can give them, try to help them find someone else who can help them. For example, if someone has run out of gas on a highway but you do not have extra, use your cellphone to call emergency services for them. If they’re lost but you do not know the area, help them ask others in the area until you find someone that can give them directions.
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- There is nothing inherently wrong with crying. Keep in mind that crying is a normal response to difficult or upsetting situations, regardless of age or gender. Sometimes it can even be healthier to cry, as it releases stressful emotions. Try not to bottle all of your emotions and occasionally let yourself cry.
- Distract yourself by reading a book or play some games.
- If you have other things like loss of interest in things you like or having thoughts to hurt yourself seek medical treatment attention immediately.
Sources and Citations
Categories: Managing Sadness and Nostalgia
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