The Best Ways to Stop Yourself From Crying

Don’t wait until the tears are already rolling. Your best chance of postponing them is to act during the early warning period, when your eyes are just starting to sting or your breathing begins to change. “Once someone starts, it’s hard to pull it back,” says Lauren Bylsma, an associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh who studies crying. “It’s always easier to pull back emotions when they’re in that earlier, more mild stage.” 

Your emotional starting point matters, too. If you slept terribly, got into a fight with your partner before work, or are already juggling six other stressors, it might not take much to tip you into tears. “If you’re already overwhelmed with everything else going on, then it just might be harder,” Bylsma says. 

In the heat of the moment, start by slowing your breathing. “My favorite is an extended exhale,” Kuehnle says. You might breathe in for four counts, hold for seven, and exhale for eight—or simply focus on breathing out slowly. “The important thing is that long exhale,” she says. Another option is two quick inhales through your nose followed by one long exhale through your mouth. The goal is to lower your level of physiological arousal before the tears gain momentum.