When you’re upset, you could notice that your throat tightens, your face flushes, and you feel compelled to cry. It might be perplexing to have to cope with anger that is generally connected with yelling or violence. However, it turns out that this is a normal bodily reaction. Still, you might be happy to learn that there are both medical and mental treatments available to help you stop crying.
Causes
Emotional tears appear to be something that only humans can produce. As you presumably already know, this type of emotional reaction occurs not only when you’re sad, but also when you’re angry. If you’ve ever shed tears because you’re furious, the following list may help you figure out why:
- Anger has a significant physiological effect on our bodies. It truly has several physical consequences on your body. To begin, there is a neurological system flare-up as well as increased hormone activity, so it’s no surprise that you cry after being highly upset.
- When you weep after a stressful event, you produce oxytocin and prolactin, two hormones that help you feel better by lowering your heart rate and improving your mood.
- Crying is also a body’s way of self-soothing. The goal of this sort of conduct is to deal with unpleasant emotions as soon as they arise, or as soon as possible.
- Tears and the social response they generate may be linked. We cry to send a message to the people around us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. By doing so, we are encouraging others to respond with empathy while also decreasing any interpersonal anger that may be directed our way.
- Crying is a sort of catharsis in and of itself. Catharsis is the process of releasing excess emotional energy that has been building up in your body, in this case, anger, to relieve tension and offer relief.
- Anger tears can also be seen in young toddlers during tantrums. These help to manage intense emotions and come in various intensities depending on whether the emotion is grief or anger. Screaming, whimpering, and crying with various auditory qualities are used throughout the episodes.
To keep from sobbing, use mental strategies.
If you want to stop crying when you’re furious, you can use the following mental exercises to help you hold back the tears while also calming down:
- Shift your focus to a good moment or a humorous scene. Positive thoughts can assist you in controlling your tears and mentally removing yourself from any scenario.
- Stay cool and express your feelings clearly. Miscommunication can elicit rage and make you want to cry.
- Mental exercises such as counting backwards from 100, humming your favourite song, or describing your surroundings can help to divert your attention away from the present moment. This strategy can help you control your emotions and prevent you from crying.
- You can use your sense of touch to help you relax. A stress ball can take your attention away from a circumstance that might otherwise make you angry or tearful.
Physical strategies to avoid crying
Other ways to help you calm down and master your anger, as well as stop sobbing before it happens, include:
- Concentrate on breathing control: inhale deeply and slowly exhale. This can help you relax and soothe your emotions while also calming you down.
- Remove yourself physically from the stressful environment that is causing you to become angry, such as a heated debate.
- Make a neutral expression on your face. This may help you relax and reduce your chances of crying.
- If you’ve already started sobbing, quickly blink to clear your eyes and prevent tears from running down your cheeks.
- If you’re just getting started, widen your eyes wide and don’t blink to avoid tears.
