Life in high-stress Washington can sometimes make you want to cry. When it does, surrendering to the emotion actually allows you to feel better. Kiara McGowan has experience there: After losing her job as a creative director in the Senate, the 32-year-old started @cryingindc, a TikTok account that chronicles McGowan tearing up around town, from inside Smithsonian museums to riding on the Metro. Here’s her advice for an effective weep.
Set the Scene
Next time you’re hit with the feels, beeline to one of DC’s beautiful secluded spots. McGowan says crying in green, woodsy spaces or while gazing out over a river helps her release stress better than when she’s stuck at home: “I’m low-key crunchy-granola and spiritual, and I do like to have a good visualization when I cry.” Some of her favorite spots include the Rock Creek Park trail along the Potomac near the Kennedy Center as well as inside Union Station’s Main Hall.
Schedule Time for Emotion
It isn’t always the right moment to burst into tears, but rather than pushing the urge away indefinitely, McGowan creates space each day to express sadness or frustration. “My cries are definitely scheduled. Maybe because I’m type-A,” she says. “I like to set the scene. So I’m like, ‘At 2:30, I’m going to go to the Wharf and cry.’ ” It may sound silly to put a cry on your calendar, but getting in the habit of blocking off time with yourself can keep emotions from building up.
Document Your Thoughts
Take a moment to crack open a journal or the Notes app and write about what’s going through your mind, advises McGowan. Posting crying content on TikTok serves as a live journal, a fulfilling way for her to work through unemployment-related sorrow. “It seems like there’s a greater collective of people who need someone to let them know: It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to feel this way, and if you do need a cry, here are some ways to do that.”
This article appears in the December 2023 issue of Washingtonian.
Life in high-stress Washington can sometimes make you want to cry. When it does, surrendering to the emotion actually allows you to feel better. Kiara McGowan has experience there: After losing her job as a creative director in the Senate, the 32-year-old started @cryingindc, a TikTok account that chronicles McGowan tearing up around town, from inside Smithsonian museums to riding on the Metro. Here’s her advice for an effective weep.
Set the Scene
Next time you’re hit with the feels, beeline to one of DC’s beautiful secluded spots. McGowan says crying in green, woodsy spaces or while gazing out over a river helps her release stress better than when she’s stuck at home: “I’m low-key crunchy-granola and spiritual, and I do like to have a good visualization when I cry.” Some of her favorite spots include the Rock Creek Park trail along the Potomac near the Kennedy Center as well as inside Union Station’s Main Hall.
Schedule Time for Emotion
It isn’t always the right moment to burst into tears, but rather than pushing the urge away indefinitely, McGowan creates space each day to express sadness or frustration. “My cries are definitely scheduled. Maybe because I’m type-A,” she says. “I like to set the scene. So I’m like, ‘At 2:30, I’m going to go to the Wharf and cry.’ ” It may sound silly to put a cry on your calendar, but getting in the habit of blocking off time with yourself can keep emotions from building up.
Document Your Thoughts
Take a moment to crack open a journal or the Notes app and write about what’s going through your mind, advises McGowan. Posting crying content on TikTok serves as a live journal, a fulfilling way for her to work through unemployment-related sorrow. “It seems like there’s a greater collective of people who need someone to let them know: It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to feel this way, and if you do need a cry, here are some ways to do that.”
This article appears in the December 2023 issue of Washingtonian.
