Why Do I Cry When I Argue? 6 Reasons And How To Deal With This Situation
What can we do to deal with difficult emotions when we argue? Why can we end up crying in an argument? Discover the reasons and how to deal with it.
There are situations that can push us to our limit. In these cases, some people may not be able to control crying because it is a way of dealing with these difficult emotions or feelings. For example, we can cry when we argue because our body seeks to try to balance the emotions that we are experiencing and are affecting us. But what are the reasons why this happens?
Cry when arguing It is a more common situation than we think. In fact, this happens due to a combination of both emotional and physiological triggers. Mainly, this reaction is because our body releases adrenaline when we experience too much anger, which can make us more sensitive than normal. Additionally, anger often causes helplessness and frustration, which can be closely linked to an intense emotional response. Taking this into account, some of the reasons that may be the most common reason why we cry when we argue are the following:
Emotional overflow: Repressed anger can end up causing an emotional overflow. In many cases, when we come to argue with others this is because we have not been saying what we really think for a long time or not communicating with others. So, in these cases, when we are overwhelmed by a very strong emotion this can lead to crying.
Frustration and helplessness: Sometimes crying can be because we feel helpless for not having control over a specific situation. Helplessness is also an emotion that can trigger crying in the face of an argument.
Self-regulation: Physiologically, crying is one of the ways our body can relax. When faced with an argument, we can experience too much tension, which can lead us to end up crying to release it and relax.
Empathy: You may cry in an argument because you empathize with the other person and don’t know how to support them.
Coping mechanism: Crying in an argument can also act as a coping mechanism, signaling to both oneself and others that one has emotional needs that are not being met. That is, it is a response that our body has to process certain very intense emotions.
Depression and anxiety: Disorders such as depression and anxiety cause people to tend towards more extreme emotions, which can lead to them crying because of it in arguments.
You must keep in mind that crying when you are angry, frustrated or disappointed in another person is a completely common and natural reaction. Therefore, in the face of this reaction it is important not to judge yourself for it.
How to deal with the urge to cry when you are arguing?
Some of the strategies that can help you deal with the urge to cry when you are arguing are the following:
Use breathing techniques: Deep breathing is a very effective tool to avoid tears when you see that your emotions are overwhelming you. By using your breathing, you will be able to deal with tension or all the physiological responses that can lead you to cry.
Take a break: If you see that during an argument your emotions are overflowing, it may be helpful to take a short break to resume the conversation later. By taking a break, you can organize your thoughts as well as relax physically and mentally.
Try mindful distraction: Redirect your attention to a thought that helps you stop your negative emotions. By focusing your attention on something that can help you deal with these feelings, it will allow you to stop the urge to cry.
Practice assertive communication: Instead of communicating aggressively or repressing your emotions, assertive communication involves maintaining control of your feelings and, above all, being more objective with what you are explaining. For example, instead of defining what you feel as the truth, try expressing that this is how you have felt or seen it from your perspective.
Communicate your feelings: An effective way to end overly powerful emotions is to communicate them to others. This involves saying how you feel and expressing that you are feeling bad because of it. By communicating these feelings, this will help you calm down more, since both you and the other person will be more aware of it.
As we see, It’s not about repressing our feelings On the contrary, it is better to channel them and resolve them in a way that does not make us feel worse. Still, you should remember that crying in an argument is completely valid and if you need to, there is nothing wrong with doing so.
