How good are you at hiding pain? Any tips on how to do so?

Question

I have a friend who is terminally ill with cancer, and he is coming home from the hospital tomorrow to spend his final days with his family, wife, 3 kids and his dog. While I have visited him in the hospital, I find it hard to not cry in front of him. I can cry away from him, but I thought it would be best to not cry in front of him, if I can avoid it. I know sadness is natural and so is pain, I just want some advice on delaying or covering up my feelings for a little while , at least while I am in front on him.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Say a prayer. Speak to the Lord before he shows up and ask for some words of encouragement.

Answer 2

It's a case of putting him before yourself. Before entering the room, take a few deep breaths...inhale and exhale deeply and push the emotion down.

It takes an incredible amount of energy to do this, but just remember there will be plenty of time for tears later.....try and make his last times on earth as pleasant as possible.

If you do break down in front of him, I'm sure he'll help you through it though....dying people seem to have an incredible amount of strength and understanding for their grieving rellies and mates.

Answer 3

It sounds nasty but ive heard it from multiple people and its worked for me for years

Bite the inside  of your lip, push your tongue against your teeth, and circulate saliva back and forth over your tongue