About this quote

Panic is a natural human reaction to chaos, but people rarely admit how ridiculous they look when they lose control. Instead of pretending to have a perfect plan, acknowledging the urge to freak out can actually break the tension. Sometimes you just need to vent the pressure before you can think straight. Does screaming actually solve the problem? No, but holding in the fear only makes your decisions worse. Letting yourself have a brief, dramatic meltdown gets the useless panic out of your system so you can finally focus on the next step.

When to use it

• Your company's main server crashes ten minutes before a major client demo, and your team is staring at you for answers. You say this to your lead developer to break the tense silence before you start debugging.
• You open a surprise envelope from the tax office demanding thousands of dollars you do not have. You say this to your partner to stop both of you from crying, bringing a sudden laugh instead.
• Your computer dies right in the middle of writing a term paper due at midnight. You mutter this to your roommate while dramatically pacing around the dorm room to blow off steam.