Talking to Crazy

Talking to crazy is an Olympic-level skill

So make an effort to practice them every day, especially right before you meet with an irrational person.

battle your natural fight-or-flight instinct.

That’s because you need to remain calm even as you’re experiencing a nearly overwhelming urge to give in to anger or fear.

Commit to taking action

I try that better strategy, the benefits will be _________________________________________________.”

Now that I’m a little calmer, I can see that I might be overreacting or taking the situation too personally in this way: _____________________________________________.”

Think of this approach as calling for mentor backup

possible, say that you need to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, so you can leave the situation for a moment. Otherwise, just don’t say anything for a few minutes.

One reason this approach works is that it’s impossible to feel gratitude and anger simultaneously.