How can I avoid crying or losing it in public?

You shouldn't avoid crying. There is a time for crying, a time for being happy. You should cry in public if you need to cry. People will have their opinions of you and they may laugh. However, you have to just own your actions regardless of peoples opinion.

Sometimes our feelings can overwhelm is in unwanted palaces. For me personally I have a safe environment where I can lose it and break down into a good cry. Knowing I have that place keeps me hanging in there until I can get to it.

This is a big one for me to be honest. I always try my hardest not to cry in public even when im standing alone embarrassingly. One time I walked outside to catch a breathe of air before I had a complete melt down inside which sorta helped. I would just try to keep a "i'm okay face" on the outside while having a melt down inside.

Firstly it's absolutely okay to cry. There is nothing wrong with it. We all do it, it's only normal. However some of us don't feel comfortable crying in public. For which in my experience helps if you drink some thing and maybe have a video or a funny story saved on your phone or something that you could watch and/or read to make yourself a bit more relaxed.

I usually think about something else.. like kittens or puppies..

I personally won't! If am emotion is meant to flow and be felt it should be. In case you really want to avoid it, hold it inside yourself and lash out inside a safe place, public bathroom or your home. Feeling emotions is very important because it allows you to be whole, to teach that emotion that it lives inside you, inside all of us. We are whole but at the same time we are nothing. If you feel like you are going to lose it in public, maybe take a few deep breaths and try to reflect on what could happen if you did that.

I am struggling with that as well. I have not conquered it or anything yet but with all the research and personal experience, here are some things that have helped me in not completely embarrassing myself in public by crying. Although I know crying is not bad but I cry for no reason or just the smallest reason ever. So, here's what I do: 1. Always keep a water bottle, drink lots of water 2. Keep something to eat, I prefer chocolates (easy to carry and really tasty) 3. Start typing or writing or remembering something nice or funny as soon as you feel like crying. 4. Go away from the place for a while not physically but mentally like think of a happy place. And overall just know that it's okay to cry in public. It's normal, well for me it is. :p