When crisis strikes, such as when a family member leaves home in a less-than-favorable manner, rebels, or loses a job, then some people may react with hysteria.

Calm down. The best thing to do at first is – nothing.

Remember that all aspects of your life remain the same except for that crisis. There's no reason to drop everything that is functioning well in your life. Hysteria will not fix the problem, and it is likely to harm other things that demand stability. That stability is very important.

This is not the time to change other things in your life.

Do everything possible in order to maintain your life as it was before. You can concentrate on your alternatives calmly after all other issues are stable.

Keep an additional point in mind: It is rare that any steps need to be taken immediately. The damage has already been done. Any immediate action that creates change is unlikely to improve the situation. For that reason, your best course of action is to postpone any issue that may result in changes. Act later, after you've thought about it carefully, after you've consulted with the right people calmly, and after you and your confidant have agreed on a course of action.

Advice

You are likely to face the advice of many people when you have a crisis. You may not be in a position to deal with that advice properly.

Don't let others argue that you are procrastinating. Don't let them pressure you into handling your needs until you are ready to do so. You do not have to act needlessly in order to make others happy. Needless action at this time is not likely to cause progress in your situation.

This fact does not offer you a carte blanche to take an extended amount of time to get your life in order, but it does place a limit on how much you should listen to the dictates of others who may themselves be acting out of hysteria.

Successful decisions are rarely made under stress or duress. Good decisions are made calmly, after they are given the proper time to register, and after people work on the issues and problems.

Of course, in some cases you could have predicted the problem. It did no good to deny the impending crisis, and it would have been much better to consider your options in advance. However, that can no longer be helped. Now, you should avoid taking any irrevocable steps until you can deal with the issue in a calm manner.

When you realize the importance of remaining in control of the situation and of maintaining a stable life, then you will not allow control to be transferred to the person who caused your problem or your change in life - or to any other well-wishers or meddlers. You will then realize that only you can maintain control of the situation, and that only you can avoid creating additional problems.