Tips for not crying on your birthday?

I’m notorious for crying easily. And I’m very susceptible to it on my birthday. I’m happy, why the tears? I feel so loved, why am I so fragile?

*cue it’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to*

Question

Tips for not crying on your birthday?

I’m notorious for crying easily. And I’m very susceptible to it on my birthday. I’m happy, why the tears? I feel so loved, why am I so fragile?

*cue it’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to*

dhblikes · Answer

Find a private place and get your good ol “ugly cry” out of the way—I promise that usually giggles and joy immediately follow!: Because you’ll feel better after and it’s true that grief/joy are both like water flowing out of the same garden hose; so if you bend the hose to block the grief/tears from flowing out of you—you’ll also be blocking the flow of joy that’s sure to follow!  —I’m referencing Andrea Gibson’s first interview on “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast in 2022.  They speak of this garden hose analogy that their therapist gave them about blocking grief/tears means also blocking joy. Give it a try. I inevitably LAUGH (genuinely) after, or think of something funny.

And HAAAPPPY BIRTHDAY from  a serial cryer (and giggler, too! )

sunset strip mall · Answer

accept crying as part of the experience: your question made me think about this really beautiful op-ed i read recently in NYT about why old people cry so much: "Why do I tear up so often? I think it has to do with the past, how much past has built up inside me all these years." it's ok to cry, sometimes you just need to process <3