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Ten Tips on Patience in Crisis Prevention

Crisis prevention refers to taking action in order to stop a personal crisis from happening. This could include a variety of situations such as a person in the office or an acquaintance losing control of their emotions or becoming physically violent. Or a patient could become upset and irrational with the nurse or doctor. If you are the person undertaking crisis prevention to stave off a major problem, it is important to remain calm and patient in all scenarios to avoid an escalation of the event.

  1. Sit Back and Allow the Individual to Vent

    • If a person is upset or angry about something, whether it is relevant to you or not, it is important to initially wait and let the person express why he or she is upset. If the ongoing ranting is particularly difficult to listen to, count backward in your head to remain calm.

    Engage in Discussion

    • Start and maintain an open dialogue with the person in distress. This will keep you involved and bolster your patience level, and the other person will be able to talk through what is going on in his head.

    Take Time to Ask Questions

    • People like to be heard. It helps in the venting process if you ask questions to understand why the person is upset and what you could potentially do to help solve the situation or provide personal guidance.

    Place Yourself in the Other Person's Shoes

    • Rather than have an immediate, negative reaction to the opposing person, imagine yourself in that person's place. Take time to understand what led to the person's change in behavior.

    Show Empathy

    • Even if you do not agree with how the other person is acting, be kind to her real feelings. Take time to calm yourself down and feel empathy for the other person's feelings and situation. Take a deep breath.

    Do Not Rush the Victim

    • Let events evolve slowly -- do not do anything to escalate the event, such as disagreeing with the person or presenting personal, negative feelings on the subject, even if you are feeling impatient with the person.

    Hold Off on Physical Action

    • Although your first response may be physically restraining someone who is showing developed signs of anger, instead be patient with the situation and remain non-threatening. Use a calm, soothing voice to try to prevent the person from becoming violent. Only take physical action if you need to defend yourself. Involve trained professionals if the person gets violent; call the police, or call the doctor or security if in a hospital.

    Share Experiences

    • Crisis prevention is about hearing the other person out first. Yet, if you are able to relate, it will help you and the other person if you can share any personal experiences or insights that may help the person refocus his attention away from himself. However, in doing this, you do not want to get too personal or give psychological advice if you are not professionally trained.

    Remain at the Scene

    • Try not to leave the distressed person alone or leave the scene, unless it becomes exceptionally dangerous. Even if you are in a hurry to get somewhere else, remain with the person so that he does not hurt himself.

    Practice Patience

    • It takes time to learn to be patient, especially in situations of crisis prevention. Fill your life with activities that will teach you how to remain calm in crisis situations, such as yoga, tai chi or, for something different, crisis prevention classes.

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