How to Look Like You Weren't Just Crying in Less Than Five Minutes

artismspectrum:

Or: How to Look Like You Weren’t Just Having a Meltdown in a Public Bathroom

Wanted to post this because I think it’s well explained and very useful information for a lot of people, especially those who struggle with mental illness or emotional processing issues. (This is also good for dealing with that flushed and glazed look from overload!)

Summary:

1. Don’t fight it. Trying to hold back tears is 50% of the problem behind the “just crying” face.
2. Breathe deeply and don’t hold your breath. It can be tempting to breathe less because it is quieter, and shortens the crying duration, but this brings on the flushed/puffy cryface.
3. Don’t rub your face. This is the second major source of the red puffy thing. Dab very gently with tissues. Do not wipe with anything!
4. When all else fails, pretend to sneeze loudly when you re-enter the situation you just left. Perfect explanation for the glazed eyes and watery situation.

This author de-emphasizes splashing water on the face, because of makeup, but if you don’t wear makeup I want to say that one of my best tricks (for crying or, more often, for the feverish inflammation I get from sensory overload) is to gently pat my face with cold water. Only tiny amounts, so it can dry fast. Run your hands under super cold water and pat your cheeks, nose, forehead, and all around your neck. This will bring down the surface inflammation in your face, and cool your body temperature (hence the neck water) to make the chilling effect last longer. If your body temperature still feels too high, run the insides of your wrists and the crook of your elbows under cold water, and wet your ears (the goal is to chill your blood, so the cooler blood can circulate everywhere).

♥