How to hide your emotions – Don't let others know what you are thinking

Why hide emotions? Well the answer is quite simple. There are situations when emotions and thoughts are best kept hidden than displayed in front of people who may ridicule, mock, make fun of or even take advantage of your feelings. As usual, let's stay away from cliché words of advice like controlling temper, laughing it out and staying calm. This article pin points the very acts and precise things you can do to hide and control your emotions. Don't let anyone know what you are thinking about.

1) Take a deep breath

We've talked about the benefit of taking a deep breath while trying to be calm in an earlier post. The same logic applies here too. Besides the obvious benefit of amplifying the supply of oxygen, a deep breath will allow you to recollect your composure and be cool.

2) Stop moving your eyebrows

Whether you like it or not, your eyes are the first escape route for your emotions. Your eyes may not be verbal, but they say a lot and that's exactly where your eyebrows come in. Angry, sad, excited and nervous situations have a certain eyebrow movement and position attached to them. If you want to hide what you are feeling and thinking, stop moving your eyebrows and ease the tension from your forehead.

3) Don't put up a fake smile

A smile is a great asset to carry, but not always. While a smiling and bubbly look on your face may win you hearts and affection, that may not be the best thing to have in a serious meeting. You may think that with a fake smile you may be able to hide your feelings like sadness or anger. But we all know that a fake is, more often than not, easy to spot. So if you really want to hide your emotions, keep your lips straight.

4) Relax your face

There's a lot more to your facial expressions than just your eyes and lips. Relax your face and stay away from grinding teeth, frowning or displaying other typical emotion bound expressions. No this is not about carrying around a steel face and acting like a tough guy, however, just a simple tip on keeping a straight face when you need it the most.

5) Don’t support your head

A droopy head held by the fist of your hand or a sulky face buried into your palms can be giveaways of a gloomy mood, depression or sadness. The phrase, hold you head up high, is never better implemented than in a situation when you are trying to hide your feelings. Keep your neck straight.

6) Stop fidgeting and refrain from constantly adjusting yourself

Sudden body movements and constant signs of discomfort are clear signs of nervousness or anxiety. Ease yourself and be comfortable. Emotions and feelings get hard to decipher if you maintain a calm and relaxed body language.

7) Pause, think and speak in a balanced tone

The tone of your voice can strip you bare of your thoughts. Frequent changes in the tone, speaking too fast, stuttering and stammering can give out signals to the person listening to you about what is going on in your mind. Don't let that happen, and speak properly. A slow pace of speaking also gives your mind those critical few microseconds more to think before you utter your next sentence.

8) Disassociate yourself from the situation

While detaching yourself from the situation is anything but easy, it can be a necessity if you want to hide your emotions from onlookers. While it is not rocket science, it is also very difficult. The easiest way to go about is to think of happy thoughts or good memories. Think of a warm moment spent with a loved one or a moment of ecstasy. That will help you to mentally take yourself away from the frenzy and anxiety of your current situation.

9) Speak to yourself in your mind

"Calm down, you can do this. Just stay cool" may have been a line that even the most famous sportspersons and celebrities must have said to themselves during nerve wracking moments. You should do that too! If you think that you are letting your emotions get the better of you, simply tell you mind and ask it to think the way you want it to. All you need to do, is ask!