Therapy may be free for you
Uncontrollable Crying: Why It Happens And How to Stop Crying
There are always days when a good cry is just required. A moment of sobbing is needed to release all the pent-up emotions. But when this crying becomes uncontrollable, and there is no way to stop the tears from rolling down, then this nonstop crying is embarrassing and frustrating.
But what triggers these spells of uncontrollable crying? Is there a specific psychological reason or a medical one behind it?
Whatever the cause of your uncontrollable crying, we have solutions for you. Keep reading from therapy to self-help strategies to learn about the causes and how to stop it.
Uncontrollable Crying: Signs to Know!
Everyone who experiences nonstop bouts of crying can experience different levels of severity and for different reasons. Here are some signs of uncontrollable crying you need to know about;
- You cry unexpectedly without cause.
- You constantly feel like you want to cry
- You can’t find a reason for why you want to bawl your eyes out
- You can’t seem to stop or slow down your crying
- You feel sad with no explanation
- Your emotions feel all over the place
- You experience frequent mood swings
- Your crying goes from weeping to sobbing and suddenly stopping
The Causes of Uncontrollable Crying
The incidents of unstoppable crying are rare but persistent. If you’re experiencing this condition, you may begin to withdraw from social events and feel constantly frustrated and overwhelmed . In toddlers and infants, uncontrollable crying can be common as children struggle to express their feelings with words. If your symptoms of uncontrollable crying occur in your teenage years, then hormonal changes can be a reason.
Let’s look at other reasons – psychological and medical – behind uncontrollable crying in adults;
1. Depression
If you’re diagnosed with depression or have depressive symptoms , then you might experience uncontrollable crying. Depression can cause and increase feelings of loneliness, sadness, and helplessness. If you’re experiencing depression, then you might have low energy, low motivation, no appetite, suicidal thoughts, and even nonstop tears.
Another cause of uncontrollable crying is anxiety. If your anxiety is not addressed or treated, then it can lead to nonstop crying. You might feel yourself getting overwhelmed by the thoughts of past and future. These negative feelings and thoughts can cause irritability, oversensitivity, and restlessness. If you don’t know how to address these feelings, it can all come out as bouts of uncontrollable crying.
When you keep suppressing emotions and feelings of stress, it can lead to burnout. Once you’ve reached the limit and are experiencing burnout, you might feel a sense of loss, loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, low performance, and no motivation. This can lead you to difficulties in managing your work and life obligations. Too much of overwhelming emotions can cause nonstop crying spells and have a long-term impact on your health.
4. Loss and Grief
When you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, you might feel like you’re losing control of your emotions, including crying. This kind of distress can also trigger bouts of uncontrollable crying. Grief and loss can often cause depressive feelings, anger, and anxiety – all triggers to nonstop tears and uncomfortable emotions.
5. Feeling Sadness
Sadness often overwhelms us and when we don’t know how to combat sadness, we end up crying our emotions out. While sadness and depression share similar symptoms, knowing the difference between these two experiences can help you understand what’s causing your episodes of uncontrollable crying.
6. Feeling Lonely
Another cause of your uncontrollable crying could be a sense of loss or loneliness. When you feel lonely, you limit your social interactions, and can’t make sense of your emotions. It’s common for chronically lonely people to experience nonstop spells of crying when they don’t have a support system.
7. Experiencing Shame
Yes, shame is another reason that can trigger your spells of nonstop crying. Shame is often accompanied by feelings of depression, embarrassment, and sadness – all of which can trigger uncontrollable crying. Shame can stem from negative thoughts and feelings of inadequacy. While it’s a complex and common emotion, it can leave you feeling mopey.
8. Feeling Overwhelmed
When you’re overworked and overstressed, you can’t cope with emotions healthily. When this happens, it’s common to find yourself crying uncontrollably to release your emotions.
Anger is another reason you might be crying uncontrollably. You might notice some people crying when they are angry. This happens because crying can be one way to release emotions and uncomfortable feelings that come with anger. When you’re overwhelmed with anger, you experience hurt, regret, guilt, and shame – all of which can also trigger your crying episodes.
Apart from psychological reasons, there are medical and neurological reasons as well that can trigger uncontrollable crying. Here are some of them;
10. Alzheimer’s
A neurological disorder, Alzheimer’s can impact memory and emotional regulation . Studies suggest a strong relationship between Alzheimer’s, depression, emotional outbursts, and crying spells.
When someone suffers a stroke, they can experience cognitive issues. More than cognitive, stroke can trigger depression, too. When these experiences are combined, they can trigger uncontrollable crying episodes.
12. Parkinson’s
Another neurological condition that can trigger nonstop crying spells is Parkinson’s disease. This condition can impact a person’s ability to move freely and talk normally. Parkinson’s can also cause a chemical imbalance in the brain that can cause mood swings and emotional lability.
How Does Non-Stop Crying Impact Us?
Crying nonstop can be confusing, as it can be embarrassing. Now that you know the potential causes of uncontrollable crying, let’s take a look at the ways it can impact your life and well-being;
- Isolation and withdrawal from social settings
- Social embarrassment
- Issues at work, school, and other events
- Trouble understanding the emotions behind crying
How to Stop Crying Uncontrollably?
While it may seem like it’s hard to stop crying once you’ve started, there are always steps you can take to slow down your crying. Here are some quick tips to help you stop crying;
- Try some breathing exercises: You can try some breathing exercises such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or box breathing exercises to calm down your emotions and slow down your crying.
- Engage in healthy distractions: When you can’t seem to stop crying, try to focus on other things. Shift your thoughts, do something active with your hands, or try the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.
- Go for a walk: If you want to stop crying, you can walk or try some walking meditation. The idea is to give yourself a break from the emotions overwhelming you at the moment.
- Engage your vagus nerve: You can also try engaging your vagus nerve by relaxing your stomach. This exercise can help you calm your brain and relax your body and mind.
- Seek professional help: If you can’t seem to figure out the reasons or patterns of your crying spells, then it’s recommended that you speak to a counselor or therapist. A therapist can help you figure out what is causing your crying and how to stop it.
Seeking therapy and getting help can be challenging in the beginning, but when you find the right therapist to treat your condition, you can feel relief. If you feel nervous or overwhelmed at searching for a therapist, you can always connect with your friends, family members, or support group to find support and ask for help. Also, you can drop us a line in the comments; we are all ears.
CalmSage is a judgment-free zone where you can share your thoughts freely.
No More Crying – Keep Smiling
Uncontrollable crying can be confusing, frustrating, and embarrassing. But knowing what causes your crying spells can be the first step in addressing the condition. Maybe there’s a psychological or medical reason behind your nonstop crying. Whatever the reason, seeking a professional’s support can help you get through it.
Know that you’re not alone in your experience. With the right help and strategies, you can learn to prevent emotional outbursts from affecting your daily life.
I hope this blog helped you understand uncontrollable crying, what causes it, and how to stop crying. Please share your thoughts and tips with us in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you!
Quick Reaction:
About The Author
Anjali Singh is a content curator in the field of Mental Health. She is currently done Ph.D. in Psychology. Her aim is to light up the world with positive vibes through her words, her idea of life is ‘Grow through what you go through’. Apart from this, she is a big-time pet lover.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Stress-o-meter
Check your stress level.
Professional therapy, done online
Take the quick assessment and get matched with a professional, licensed therapist.
LATEST READ
12 Tips To Deal With Disrespectful Grown...
Let Go Of Your Holiday Stress With These...
13 Unique Christmas Gifts Ideas for Ment...
What Is Postpartum Rage?...
Related posts.
Kohlberg’s Theory Of Moral Development...
Celebrating 25 Years
- Join ADDitude
- |
- What Is ADHD?
- The ADHD Brain
- ADHD Symptoms
- ADHD in Children
- ADHD in Adults
- ADHD in Women
- Find ADHD Specialists
- Symptom Checker Tool
- Symptom Tests
- More in Mental Health
- ADHD Medications
- Medication Reviews
- Natural Approaches
- ADHD Therapies
- Managing Treatment
- Treating Your Child
- Success @ School 2024
- Behavior & Discipline
- Positive Parenting
- Schedules & Routines
- School & Learning
- Health & Nutrition
Teens with ADHD
- More on ADHD Parenting
- Do I Have ADD?
- Getting Things Done
- Time & Productivity
- Relationships
- Organization
- Health & Nutrition
- More for ADHD Adults
- Free Webinars
- Free Downloads
- Newsletters
- Guest Blogs
- eBooks + More
- Search Listings
- Add a Listing
- News & Research
- For Clinicians
- For Educators
- ADHD Directory
- Manage My Subscription
- Get Back Issues
- Digital Magazine
- Gift Subscription
- Renew My Subscription
- ADHD Parenting
Q: Homework Triggers Epic Tantrums from My Child
Sometimes, the mere thought of buckling down for homework after a long day of school is enough to invite meltdowns and anguish from students with adhd and executive function challenges. you know they are tired and worn out, but still the work must be done — and without nightly terrors. try these tricks to defuse the situation..
Q: “Many nights, my son falls apart at the mere mention of homework. Or, he convinces himself an assignment is too difficult and gives up – after a major meltdown. He doesn’t want to get a zero for not completing work, but is completely blocked emotionally. He feels like he’s too stupid. How can I help him recover after an emotional breakdown?”
When a child suffers a meltdown at 7pm, we as parents focus on getting through the meltdown. But what we need to do is rewind the day back to 8am, and think of all of the things that led to this point. Where is the break down beginning? What is leading us to this point? Typically these major tantrums don’t happen out of the blue.
Homework doesn’t start when your child sits down to do homework. It starts when he first walks into his first class of the day. Does he hear what the teacher had to say? Does he have his homework from the night before? Does he even know what is being asked of him? Does he need some systems and strategies in place to refuel his executive functions after depleting them all day at school?
My son had a similar issue. He was explosive about getting homework done. Here are a couple things that worked for us:
[ Free Download: How Well Does Your Teen Regulate Emotions? ]
- Play “I Spy” and focus on what is getting in the way of your child’s work . Is it using Twitter during homework time? Or difficulty sustaining effort?
- Engage your child in the process of getting started . While you are having a snack after school, ask, “What’s your plan?” Or, “What are your priorities for tonight?” This can prepare his brain for what’s next for the evening without nagging him.
- Make it easy to get started . I tried to make things as simple as possible to avoid overwhelm. A sheet of 20 or 30 problems – even if they were simple computations – would put my son into a tailspin. Instead, I would put out one math problem or one vocabulary word at the beginning just to get the ball rolling. Remove barriers to entry by starting small and simple. If your child gets stuck, ask, “What’s your first step?” This can help dial back the overwhelm.
- Stop distractions and procrastination . I would sit in the room with my son while he worked. I wasn’t communicating, or helping after he got started, just being there – doing something else, and sometimes re-directing him back to work. Act like a force field to keep your child focused and anchored to whatever task he’s trying to complete.
- Get moving . Grab the flashcards and take the dog out for a walk. Ask them as you move around the neighborhood. By the time you get home, the assignment is complete, but it didn’t feel like studying . Do math problems with sidewalk chalk – anything to break up the emotion of the moment.
Not every strategy works for every student – throw a few things against the wall and see what sticks. This advice came from “ Getting It Done: Tips and Tools to Help Your Child Start — and Finish — Homework ,” an ADDitude webinar lead by Leslie Josel in September 2018 that is now available for free replay.
Do you have a question for ADDitude’s Dear Teen Parenting Coach? Submit your question or challenge here.
The opinions and suggestions presented above are intended for your general knowledge only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your own or your child’s condition.
Dear Teen Parenting Coach: Read These Next
The Top ADDitude Articles of 2023
The Sad Truth About Tantrum Triggers
ADDitude's Top 10 Webinars of 2022
The Parents’ Guide to Dismantling Oppositional, Defiant Behavior
Adhd newsletter, how to solve adolescent challenges — expert advice & teen perspectives..
It appears JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Please enable JavaScript and refresh the page in order to complete this form.
IMAGES
VIDEO