How to Hold Back Tears

Pinch yourself., Focus on your breathing., Use cold sensations as a distraction., Look up., Change your scenery., Take a nap.

6 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Pinch yourself.

    Use a small amount of physical pain to distract from emotional pain can help prevent tears.

    Pinch yourself in a sensitive area, like the bridge of your nose, the flesh between your fingers, or the inside of your upper arm.

    This is very effective for many people when it comes to preventing crying., Pay attention to the natural breathing patterns of your body can also serve to prevent tears.

    Focus on how your breaths are coming and going.

    You can also practice deep breathing by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, channeling air into your abdomen.

    This can be soothing and calm you down, making you feel better about the upsetting situation., Changing sensations can also help you avoid tears.

    Place a cold water bottle or ice cube on your wrist.

    Sprinkle some icy water on your face.

    Anything you can discreetly do to create a physical sensation can provide a solid distraction from crying., For some people, looking upward can help prevent crying.

    This will prevent the tears from escaping.

    However, the major downside is that this can prove distracting and does not have as high of a success rate as other options.

    The tears will usually fall once you put your head back in a regular position., Walk into another room or go outside. “The Doorway Effect” describes the situation in which forgetting is linked to walking through a doorway, This is because entering a new environment helps you to construct a new situation, erasing the old situation.

    This can reduce your anxiety and help distract you, though you won’t completely forget about the problem., Sleeping regenerates and heals the brain.

    It allows you to access the vast amount of information and knowledge in your brain that doesn’t immediately come to mind when you are awake.

    This is known as “spreading activation,” which allows your brain to seek out associations which might help to solve the problem.
  2. Step 2: Focus on your breathing.

  3. Step 3: Use cold sensations as a distraction.

  4. Step 4: Look up.

  5. Step 5: Change your scenery.

  6. Step 6: Take a nap.

Detailed Guide

Use a small amount of physical pain to distract from emotional pain can help prevent tears.

Pinch yourself in a sensitive area, like the bridge of your nose, the flesh between your fingers, or the inside of your upper arm.

This is very effective for many people when it comes to preventing crying., Pay attention to the natural breathing patterns of your body can also serve to prevent tears.

Focus on how your breaths are coming and going.

You can also practice deep breathing by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, channeling air into your abdomen.

This can be soothing and calm you down, making you feel better about the upsetting situation., Changing sensations can also help you avoid tears.

Place a cold water bottle or ice cube on your wrist.

Sprinkle some icy water on your face.

Anything you can discreetly do to create a physical sensation can provide a solid distraction from crying., For some people, looking upward can help prevent crying.

This will prevent the tears from escaping.

However, the major downside is that this can prove distracting and does not have as high of a success rate as other options.

The tears will usually fall once you put your head back in a regular position., Walk into another room or go outside. “The Doorway Effect” describes the situation in which forgetting is linked to walking through a doorway, This is because entering a new environment helps you to construct a new situation, erasing the old situation.

This can reduce your anxiety and help distract you, though you won’t completely forget about the problem., Sleeping regenerates and heals the brain.

It allows you to access the vast amount of information and knowledge in your brain that doesn’t immediately come to mind when you are awake.

This is known as “spreading activation,” which allows your brain to seek out associations which might help to solve the problem.

About the Author

B

Brandon Cook

Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.

96 articles
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