Crying at work: why and how to stop?

Crying at work due to emotions can happen to anyone, but that's not the only reason people can cry at work. It can have multiple causes, such as expressing emotions and wanting to manipulate a particular situation or process[1]. In this blog, we will focus on how to stop crying at work due to emotions.

The perception is often that you leave your emotions at home and function at work like some kind of robot just doing what needs to be done, but you are a human being and people have emotions. Crying is also part of being human.

Emotional reasons why people cry at work

There can be all kinds of reasons why people cry at work. For example, you may suffer from overwork and stress, when this all becomes too overwhelming it can lead to crying. This can include stress, as well as feeling that the goals the company has set for you are unachievable[2].

Men and women are also given different demands at work in terms of expressing emotions. Women often have to hold back more emotionally than men, which may ultimately lead to women in particular crying more often at work than men (source 2).

There is also a lot of collaboration that needs to take place in the workplace, and that is where things can sometimes go completely wrong for a while. Conflicts and tension between colleagues or with your supervisor can also cause you to become overwhelmed. Stress at work can also be caused, for example, by not having a pleasant working atmosphere, isolation, or by having a difficult relationship with the people you have to work with[3].

Personal problems or situations can also cause you to cry at work. If someone close to you has passed away, you may suddenly think about that while at work, and of course that can also cause you to cry. A study found that fathers who start work after their first child's parental leave is over can sometimes cry on the bus to work, or at work, because they would rather be with their baby[4].

Stop crying at work due to emotional reasons

Is it all very understandable why you cry at work, but still want to quit? Then there's work to be done.

Because how are you going to do all that?

Colleagues and crying

Initially, you can look at how you deal with co-workers and bullying at work. Research in Iceland shows that men are more likely to bully other people at work than women, but that it doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman to be a victim of this behavior.

Men who are bullied do not usually ask for help, nor do they shy away from those colleagues. They also tend to respond more assertively.

Women who are bullied are more likely to ask for help than men and try to stay away from bullying colleagues.

It's smart to say something about it somewhere, though, because doing nothing often makes bullying at work worse. The annoying thing, however, is that if you say something about it and it doesn't stop, then you are again more likely to just ignore it,[5] but of course that doesn't solve the problem.

So standing up for yourself is important. In the Netherlands, you can always go to a confidant and they can help you find a solution.

Do you find it exciting to stand up for yourself or ask for help? Then hypnotherapy can help you become stronger so that you effortlessly guard your boundaries without losing your collegiality.

Stress and work pressure and crying

So stress and work pressure can also lead to crying. One way to deal with this is to talk about your feelings. By expressing that you find it difficult, at least you are already not bottling up the feelings, and that may just prevent you from bursting into tears.

You can also discuss changing your job responsibilities so that you can manage it all and not feel overwhelmed by the work you do[6].

Do you find it scary to state your boundaries at work? Then a hypnotherapist can help you figure out what beliefs are causing you to find it difficult to indicate at work that you can no longer handle working overtime, for example.

For example, many people find this difficult because they think they will lose their jobs. This is a fear that causes you to bottle up certain problems and may end up crying at work.

By eliminating these types of fears, you will find it much easier to state your boundaries at work.

In the end, your boss or supervisor is happy about this too, because if you always overwork you will get sick. It's more convenient to have an amount of work that suits you, so your manager or employer doesn't have to worry about having to find someone else for you.

Personal problems that make you cry at work

Personal problems that make you cry at work, such as the loss of a loved one, are actually a part of life. It is a good idea to report these kinds of intense problems at work so that your colleagues know what is going on if your personal problems cause you to walk around with red-rimmed eyes for a while.

People are all human beings. Everyone goes through something, and most people are empathetic enough to be understanding when someone has lost a loved one. People understand that if your relationship has gone out that can be a reason to be emotionally uncomfortable for a while.

So be sure to mention that if you are facing this kind of private problem.

Devise alternative to crying

In addition, you can use hypnosis to come up with an alternative to crying. For example, you may have a certain pattern at work that causes you to burst into tears. With hypnosis, you can interrupt this pattern and even mix it up in your mind so that it no longer makes sense for your subconscious to react that way.

In addition, you can visualize how you do respond, such as taking a moment to express your frustration if that is why you are crying.

Practicing this with hypnosis will also teach you how to stay calm at times like that.

Mindfulness to stop crying at work

Mindfulness is also a great way to calm down to reduce the likelihood of crying. By focusing for a moment on your breathing, or even the feel of the keys under your fingertips, you take yourself out of thoughts that can make you cry.

In addition, mindfulness can work very well to reduce stress, so in that respect it can also do a lot to reduce your chances of crying.

For example, research shows that mindfulness at work reduces the amount of stress hormones you produce during the day compared to people who do not apply mindfulness at work[7].

Self-hypnosis against crying at work

Some workplaces increase the likelihood of crying very much. People in healthcare often have stressful jobs, and on top of that come the emotions you have from sympathizing with sick people.

Research shows that self-hypnosis for caregivers, such as those in healthcare, can help reduce stress at work (and thus the likelihood of crying).

If this self-hypnosis addresses your inner resources to make the most of your day, positive psychology, taking good care of yourself, setting boundaries and empowering yourself can already do much for people in care to reduce the risk of compassion fatigue and burnout[8].

To get these kinds of self-hypnosis suggestions, a hypnotherapist can best help you, because suggestions that help you empower yourself, for example, can best address your qualities and remove limiting beliefs. These, in turn, can be different for everyone.

Examples of suggestions to repeat during self-hypnosis include:

"I can do anything."

"I'm good enough."

"I get to choose for myself."

These are examples; depending on your work and the problems that make you cry, a hypnotherapist may give you other suggestions.

Learn Hypnosis

Want to learn more about hypnosis and how to use it to help yourself and others? Then come to the free online master class.

Or register directly for one of our seminars or trainings. Training courses are delivered in class or live online. Choose a training format that suits you.

Just need help because you want to stop crying at work? Then go to bestetherapeut.co.uk

Sources: