The frustrating thing about panic is that it’s incredibly difficult to be talked out of it.

From where you’re standing, it could be obvious that someone else’s panic isn’t rooted in reason or logic. But telling them this is rarely enough to relieve them (or stop them from filling their attic with toilet paper).

Because from where they’re standing, your calmness might be only be registering as blind, delusional ignorance in the face of a serious threat.

Panic is a defence mechanism people usually have to prove themselves out of.

We can offer others the tools them need to rationalise themselves out of panic, but the rationalising is ultimately up to them.

Any attempt to force logic down the throat of someone in a panic spiral might only send them further into panic.

So, even in the most turbulent and frustrating times, we should focus on sharpening our own thinking before trying to alter anyone else’s.