While crying is a perfectly normal reaction that we sometimes can't help but manifest, it is embarrassing when it occurs at school. Fortunately, there are various tips and tricks that allow you to hide the tears in class if you are having a difficult day, but you don't want anyone to notice. That said, if you avoid crying because a classmate has targeted you, you should report the incident to a teacher or school counselor. You don't have to smile and bear in silence. Nobody has the right to treat you badly.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Stop the Tears
Step 1. Distract yourself
If you haven't started crying yet but think you can't control yourself, try distracting yourself from the saddest thoughts. Play a game on your cell phone, try joking with a friend, try to focus on the math book, or listen carefully to what your teacher is saying.
Step 2. Establish some distance
If you feel overwhelmed with negative feelings and are on the verge of breaking down in tears, try to distance yourself from your thoughts.
To do this, imagine that you are a stranger looking at the situation that fuels your sadness from the outside. You can also try talking about yourself in the third person when you think about what happened
Step 3. Gain awareness
If you are sad about something that has nothing to do with current circumstances (for example, if it is an event that happened in the past or that has yet to happen), try to focus only on the present.
To gain awareness, pay close attention to your body sensations, the information that comes from the sensory organs and the thoughts triggered by these sensations
Step 4. Smile
Try to cheer yourself up by smiling, even if you don't feel like it. There is a theory, called the "facial feedback hypothesis", according to which there is a relationship between emotions and facial expressions: although, generally, we smile when we feel happy, some evidence suggests that by smiling we can cheer or otherwise relieve the sadness.
If you have a pencil handy, try putting it in your mouth and biting it between your teeth. This way you will be forced to raise your cheeks and hint a smile more easily
Step 5. Change your thoughts
Try to influence your mood by thinking of something fun or something that will make you happy. You can also focus on an equally sad but different event.
- For example, you might think of a funny video you saw on the Internet or a nice gesture your boyfriend (or girlfriend) made towards you.
- To see why you are sad from another perspective, consider this example. Suppose you are unhappy with a bad grade on a test and you can't keep your anger in check because you think what happened is a sign of low intelligence. Try to consider the poor grade as a challenge to be overcome at the next assignment, starting to study harder.
Step 6. Seek the support of others
Whenever possible, find a friend or someone you can confide in and tell them what is bothering you. This will help relieve your sadness and avoid crying when you are in school.
Part 2 of 4: Making Excuses
Step 1. Say you carelessly put a finger in your eye
State that you are sometimes a bit clumsy and that you are weeping because you hit yourself in the eye with your finger. It happens to almost everyone, so it could happen to you too.
Step 2. Explain that you have a bad allergy
Some allergies make you water and cause swelling of the face and eyes. You might say that you sometimes experience these symptoms. To make your excuse more believable, continue sharing how you live with this disorder.
For example, to lighten the conversation, you might add that it is very annoying to have allergies that swell up your face so much that you look like a puffer fish
Step 3. Say you have a cold
Sometimes, we cry when we are not well. You might consider saying that you are cold and that your eyes water when you are in this state.
Step 4. Make it clear that you are sensitive to drafts
You could try saying that your eyes are dry, watery, and sensitive to wind or temperature changes.
Step 5. Justify yourself by saying you have something in your eye
It can be a speck of dust, a gnat or a few crumbs of the eraser. Whichever excuse you come up with, look at your surroundings before saying a foreign body has entered your eye, so you can find something compatible to attribute the cause to.
- Keep in mind that no matter what you decide to say, you shouldn't lie by claiming that something dangerous has entered your eye, such as a chemical. Otherwise, there is a risk that the teacher will take you to the infirmary, or worse, call 911, wasting everyone's time.
- Plus, you'll make people worry unnecessarily, and if you get caught, you could get yourself in trouble.
Step 6. Explain that you were laughing out loud
Sometimes we laugh so hard that we can't hold back the tears. If you want to hide them because you don't want someone who suddenly arrives to notice that you are down in the dumps, you could say that you were laughing at something funny.
To convince him, tell him that you have a funny joke or a ridiculous situation that happened in the past. Who knows, remembering it might even cheer you up
Step 7. Tell them that a yawn made you cry
Pretend to yawn by opening your mouth and breathing deeply. Rub your eyes, and if someone asks you something, tell them that sometimes you feel like weeping after a yawn.
Step 8. Explain that you got little sleep
Whether this is true or not, some people believe that eyes become shiny when they don't get enough sleep. If you want to hide your tears from those who ask you if you are okay, answer that you have been up all night studying or for another plausible reason.
Part 3 of 4: Hiding the Tears
Step 1. Rest your head on your arms
If you are sitting in the counter, put your head in your crossed arms so that no one can see your gaze. Explain that you feel tired or have a migraine and that you need to close your eyes for a moment. So, shed a few tears while you pretend to be resting.
Use this trick only if the teacher doesn't get angry, otherwise he might call you and draw the attention of the whole class to you
Step 2. Avoid talking
Sometimes, when we are sad, we speak with a trembling voice, almost broken by an imminent cry. Therefore, avoid opening your mouth if you feel low spirits.
If you can't help but speak, try using a lower tone of voice than usual and express yourself more firmly. This will make it seem like nothing has happened, even if you feel like you are speaking louder because you are sad
Step 3. Dry your eyes
Find an excuse to bend over, such as dropping your pencil or pulling something out of your backpack, and wipe your eyes with your shirt or handkerchief if you have it handy.
Step 4. Take a tissue and "blow your nose"
If you miss it but can get one, don't hesitate to get it. You can pretend that you have to blow your nose, but first discreetly wipe the tears.
Try to distance yourself from others when faking this gesture. They will probably think that you are a polite person who does not like to blow your nose in front of your interlocutors
Step 5. Pretend you have something in your eye
Pretend to remove an eyelash or foreign body that has gotten into your eye by blinking or lifting. In the meantime, discreetly wipe away any tears that may flow.
Step 6. Simulate a sneeze
Try pretending to sneeze by using your hands or by bending your elbow and drying your tears in this way. If someone sees you crying and asks for information, you may jokingly reply that the sneeze was so strong that you couldn't hold back the tears.
If you have a tendency to cry, always keep a packet of tissues in your bag so you can use them when needed. If you don't carry a bag, put them in your pocket
Part 4 of 4: Getting by in Various Situations
Step 1. Ask for permission to go out
If you are in class and feel the need to cry, ask the teacher if you can go to the bathroom. You will be able to be alone for a while while the other classmates follow the lesson.
During the intermission, move away from others. Find an excuse by saying that you need to clear your head or that you want to take a walk on your own
Step 2. Reduce the risk of getting caught
Once you are in the bathroom, find a corner where you can be alone. If you are concerned that someone might hear you cry, try turning on the tap or flushing the toilet when you can't hold back the tears so that others won't notice.
If you move away from peers during intermission, they are less likely to hear or see you cry
Step 3. Let it out
When you are alone in the bathroom or flush the toilet so that no one can hear you, let the tears flow while you can. Once you stop crying and think you are past the most critical moment, give yourself a minute to recover.
Look around during intermission to make sure no one is around, then indulge in a good, liberating cry
Step 4. Wait for your face to return to its normal color
After crying, your face may feel swollen or red. Before returning to class, wait a few minutes for all traces to disappear.
- If no one sees you, try rinsing your face with cold water.
- If your face is still red and / or swollen upon returning to class, try putting your hands in front and scratching the top of your forehead as you take your seat. This way, you will cover a large part of the face and give the impression of having a simple itch.
- When you enter the classroom, you can also simulate a yawn in order to move your face muscles and hide the fact that you were crying. Just try yawning or scratching your head at the same time.
- If you have to wait during recess, try to stay as far away from classmates as possible.
Step 5. Hide your face
If you are sitting in a side row of benches, you can hide your swollen face or tears by resting your face on one hand so that others cannot see you.
- If you are sitting on the left, you can rest your face on your right hand (do the opposite if you are sitting on the right).
- Be careful not to give the impression that you are falling asleep, otherwise the teacher may call you and draw the attention of others to you.
Advice
- If you can't stop crying, you may want to ask a friend to distract the rest of your mates while you dry your tears.
- Keep the paper tissues close at hand!
- Look at the ground and use the force of gravity to bring the tears down quickly.
- If you have long hair and are on the verge of tears, lower your head, hide your face in your locks, and cross your arms until you have calmed down. If you have trouble calming down, take a few deep breaths and think about something else.
- The bathroom is a great place to cry at school. Do it silently and no one will hear you.
- Think of something funny or a day when you touched the sky with your finger. It should help you stop the tears until you have a chance to go to the bathroom.
- Sometimes, the only thing to do is to let go, so don't hesitate! Nobody will blame you for being upset. It is normal and it happens to everyone.
- At worst, put on your sunglasses! They will hide the traces of crying.
- Talk to your best friend for some comfort. Hug him, cry on his shoulder, sit next to him and sigh. He will be able to console you.
Warnings
- Sometimes we cry to communicate our need for help to others. Understand that hiding tears isn't always the best choice. Consider seeking help from a teacher or friend to deal with what distresses you most.
- Sometimes repressing emotions can have negative health effects, so if you feel comfortable, don't hesitate to let your emotions out.
