Don’t take a huge deep breath with your mouth open - it might be obvious what you’re trying to do. Instead, take a deep breath through your nose since that should make your breath quieter. To get a good, deep breath, you should inhale for 2 to 3 seconds and exhale for 3 to 4.
If you’re worried pursing your lips will be obvious, clench your jaw tighter. Doing both will keep you from losing your straight face, but clenching your jaw will make it less obvious what you’re doing.
If you’re worried about looking obvious when you’re biting the inside of your cheek, use your hand to pretend to wipe across your mouth. As you’re doing that, bite the inside of your cheek.
If you’re in a situation where looking away might seem rude - in class or a meeting, for example - you can take a look at your notes. That still seems appropriate and helps you cover.
For example, think about a sad commercial you saw recently. If you’re worried about your reaction to thinking about something sad, try thinking about something else - you can count backward from a very high number, or try to remember something complex, like a math formula.
For example, if the person you’re speaking to has been telling you about their job, but then they veer off into a topic you find funny, try to ask them questions that get them back onto talk about their job. You can say things like “Tell me more about what sort of schooling you needed for your job,” or “How did you get started in that field. "
If you’re trying to distract yourself during a game, talk about something completely unrelated to it. For example, if you’re playing poker, don’t talk about other poker games you’ve played. Instead, you can talk about what’s going on at work or something that happened while you were at the store.
For example, if someone is telling you an embarrassing story that you can tell hurts them a bit, share your own embarrassing story. It not only stops you from laughing, but it can also help the other person feel better about their own experience. Validate what they are saying. [7] X Expert Source Sabrina Grover, LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker Expert Interview. 3 December 2021. Let them know that you are there for them. [8] X Expert Source Sabrina Grover, LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker Expert Interview. 3 December 2021.
