How To Stop Crying: 9 Tips For Instant Control - Medical News Today

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Medical News TodaySubscribeTips to control crying

Medically reviewed by Ifeanyi Olele, DO, MBA, MS, FAPA — Written by Bethany Cadman — Updated on January 27, 2026

Types of crying
How much crying is too much?
Tips for controlling crying
How to avoid triggers
Crying and mental health
Takeaway

Tips to help someone stop crying include walking away from stressful situations or relaxing the face muscles. Humor and distraction may also help with uncontrollable crying.

Sometimes, people have the urge to cry when they don’t want to and while it is important to note that there is nothing wrong with crying, there are some ways to control and prevent it from happening.

Uncontrollable crying can be upsetting, uncomfortable, and exhausting. It is important to remember that crying could be a sign of a deeper problem, and if anyone suspects this is the case, they should speak with a healthcare professional.

Fast facts on crying:

Other management techniques and tricks can help control crying.
Some people hardly cry at all, even in very sad situations, while others find even small things can set them off.
There is no specific cure for crying.
Crying is a normal response to a wide range of emotionally charged stimuli.
Treatments can help, especially if the person has a mood disorder.

Types of crying

There are three types of tears that humans can produce; each has a distinct purpose.

Basal tears: Basal tears prevent the eyes from drying out. They also act as a shield and help to keep things like debris out of the eye.
Reflex tears: Reflex tears are produced to help protect the eye. If smoke or dust enters the eye or irritates it, the nerves in the cornea send a message to the brain, and reflex tears are produced.
Emotional tears: When a person is feeling emotional, the cerebrum (the front part of the brain) registers that emotion, and a hormone is triggered, causing emotional tears to form.

How much crying is too much?

There is no rule about how much crying is too much, and whether it is a problem depends on how an individual feels personally, and whether bouts of crying affect daily activities, relationships, and other aspects of everyday life.

Crying is a regular part of life, as are many of the reasons for crying. Some common reasons why a person might cry are:

frustration
fear
receiving bad news
missing someone
empathy
sad memories
anger
shock
feeling overwhelmed
a relationship breakdown
happiness

Babies may cry to signal hunger or sleepiness.

Tips for controlling crying

Mental approaches

1. Walk away

Walking away from a situation, it can be a helpful way to stop getting worked up and bursting into tears. Getting too angry, upset, or frustrated can cause crying so removing themselves and returning when calmer can help a person regain control.

2. Use words

Failure to communicate properly can lead to anger and frustration, which can trigger the urge to cry. Learning how to express feelings clearly, staying calm, and using words can help to keep tears at bay.

3. Have props and use distractions

Having something to scribble on, a stress ball, or something to look at visually may be of use when heading into a situation that could trigger crying. Distraction is another popular technique. Focusing on an activity or task, listening to uplifting music, or starting a conversation can also be helpful.

4. Think about something positive or funny instead

Try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones or think about something funny or silly instead. Seeing the lighter, funnier side to a stressful situation can make things easier and stop someone from crying so easily.

Physical approaches

5. Concentrate on breathing

Taking a deep breath and focusing on breathing slowly and calmly can help regain control.

6. Blink and move the eyes

Moving the eyes around and blinking back the tears can prevent them from spilling out.

7. Relaxing facial muscles

When a person cries their face tends to tense up. Focusing on the muscles in the face and relaxing them can help prevent crying.

8. Get rid of that throat lump

Emotional crying also affects the nervous system. One way it reacts is by opening up the muscle at the back of the throat (called the glottis). This feels as though a lump is forming in the throat. Sipping water, swallowing, and yawning can help make the lump go away.

9. Do some exercise

Exercise releases feel-good endorphins and is a great distraction from what is causing the upset too.

How to avoid triggers

Avoiding triggers is about recognizing the things that cause a person to cry and being able to identify them. This makes it easier for them to manage their emotions, as they can spot and prevent familiar thought-patterns long before reaching the point of crying.

Some strategies include:

Acknowledging feelings

Sometimes crying can be a reflex because people struggle to acknowledge how they are feeling.

Trying to understand the cause of distress and coming up with practical solutions will be more helpful than masking the problem by crying.

Modifying behavior

Behavioral modification is where a person is asked to try and focus on their thoughts and actions and identify the triggers that cause them to cry. Doing so enables them to come up with coping mechanisms to help. The more a person repeats these, the more control a person will have over their emotions.

Talking to someone

Talking to someone, whether they are a trusted friend, a family member, or a trained professional such as a therapist, can help a person work out problems, relieve stress and feel freer.

Writing it down

Some people find keeping a journal or writing their emotions down is a beneficial way to explore their feelings, find patterns, and see if there is a root cause for their problems that needs addressing.

Crying and mental health

Although crying is a normal part of life, excessive crying can be a sign of several mood or personality disorders that usually need professional help to control. Some common mood disorders are:

depression
anxiety disorder
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) – intense feelings of anger or sudden, unexplained laughter or crying

Takeaway

While crying is a normal part of life, if a person suspects they cry more than usual or crying is interfering with their daily life, they should seek help and advice from a medical professional.

If they are considering harming themselves or others then seeking immediate help by calling 911, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255, or confiding in a trusted adult is the best course of action.

Crying in itself can sometimes be helpful and make a person feel much better so people should not try to hide tears, bury emotions, or go through it alone.

Eye Health / Blindness

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Bipolar disorder. (n.d.).https://www.dbsalliance.org/education/bipolar-disorder/
Hossain MN, et al. (2024). The impact of exercise on depression: How moving makes your brain and body feel better.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11298280/
Mukamal R, et al. Facts about tears.https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/facts-about-tears
Understanding mental illness triggers. (2022).https://www.nami.org/blog/understanding-mental-illness-triggers/

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Medically reviewed by Ifeanyi Olele, DO, MBA, MS, FAPA — Written by Bethany Cadman — Updated on January 27, 2026

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Fast facts on crying:

Types of crying

How much crying is too much?

Tips for controlling crying

Mental approaches

Physical approaches

How to avoid triggers

Crying and mental health

Takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

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