It was Tina Fey who wrote, "If you're so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone."
So if you're afraid that you'll be derided for crying at work, remember as I do that Fey, award-winning writer, producer, director, actor, author, recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for Humour and arguably the sharpest woman of our time, once cried, too and if she can, we all can.
Also, it does terrify everyone if you show that you're human, but if you regularly whimper, you may earn a reputation for being "emotional" and nicknames such as the somewhat debilitating "Sooky Pants".
If you feel your eyes watering and your bottom lip quivering (and you're not giving a political speech from a podium) excuse yourself, quickly find an isolated toilet cubicle and let it all out.
Or walk outside and sob to a confidant down the phone. You might come back a little puffy and red, and if you do, see the above about terrifying everyone.
If you're out in public and you receive bad news, you should cry. Because it's a perfectly healthy emotional response never mind who is looking; it's not as if they've never cried themselves.
If you find yourself crying a lot for no proper reason (responding to YouTube clips of pets reunited with their owners doesn't count), it could be that you're depressed, so check out Beyond Blue (beyondblue.org.au) and consider seeing someone about it.
And if you find yourself crying a lot on the job? It might be time to look around for a new one.
