Crisis Skills 

Fast, Practical Tools to Stop Escalation Before It Costs You

When distress spikes fast, you don’t need insight.
You need control.

These three crisis skills are designed for moments when:

• your nervous system is escalating rapidly

• your thinking is narrowing

• you’re close to doing or saying something you’ll regret

They are not about “calming down” in a vague way.
They are about bringing your physiology back under control quickly so you can function.

These are the top three crisis skills we teach because they:

• work on the body first (not willpower)

• can be used anywhere

• act fast

• reduce risk

 Tactical Breathing

Use this when panic, hyperventilation, or mental overload hits

What it’s for
Tactical breathing is your first-line tool when:

• your breathing is fast or shallow

• you feel panicky, dizzy, lightheaded, or “not quite with it”

• your thoughts are racing

• you’re escalating in public, at work, or somewhere you can’t leave

This is the fastest way to interrupt hyperventilation-driven panic.

When you’re distressed, you blow off too much carbon dioxide. That chemistry shift alone can drive panic, confusion, and loss of concentration. Tactical breathing fixes that without needing equipment or privacy.

Why it works (briefly)

• Slows breathing rate dramatically

• Retains carbon dioxide

• Reduces physiological panic signals

• Restores concentration and decision-making

You can do this sitting at a table, on a bus, in a briefing room, or in the middle of a conversation.

How to do Tactical Breathing

1. Breathe in normally for 2 seconds
   (Not a big breath. Just normal.)

2. Hold your breath for up to 10 seconds

   • If you can’t reach 10 at first, that’s fine

   • Aim for gradual improvement over a few cycles

3. Breathe out for 3 seconds

That’s one cycle.

This gives you a 15-second breathing cycle, which drops breathing rate to about 4 breaths per minute.

How long to use it

• Aim for 6–8 cycles

• If still elevated, keep going for another 1–2 minutes

• You can stop once concentration returns and breathing settles

If you’re coaching yourself internally, count slowly in your head.
If someone else is helping you, a calm, direct voice works best.

When to use Tactical Breathing

• Panic attacks

• On-shift escalation

• Acute anxiety

• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded

• When you can’t leave the situation

• As a first step before any other skill

This is often enough on its own to bring distress back into a manageable range.

 Burst Exercise

Use this when your body needs to burn off activation fast

What it’s for
Burst exercise is for moments when:

• your body feels charged, restless, or explosive

• breathing alone isn’t cutting it

• anger or agitation is building

• you feel like you need to move now

This is not about fitness.
It’s about rapidly reducing physiological arousal.

When distress is high, your muscles are primed for action. If you don’t use them, that activation has nowhere to go — and it leaks out as agitation, anger, or impulsive behaviour.

Why it works

• Large muscles produce carbon dioxide

• Physical exertion discharges excess stress hormones

• The nervous system gets the message: “action completed”

This is one of the most reliable ways to cut through high arousal quickly.

How to use Burst Exercise

Pick something simple and available. The rule is:

If you were calm right now, what would make you huff and puff?

Examples:

• Fast stair climbing

• Star jumps

• Burpees

• Skipping

• Push-ups

• Sprinting

• Stationary bike

• Bodyweight squats

Do it hard and fast for:

• 30 seconds to 2 minutes

• Stop when breathing is heavy

You don’t need to exhaust yourself. You just need to activate the muscles enough to shift the chemistry.

Matching exercise to emotion (optional but helpful)

• Fear or panic → lower-body movement
  (running, stairs, skipping)

• Anger or agitation → upper-body exertion
  (push-ups, weights, punching bag)

Either will work. Some just feel more effective.

When to use Burst Exercise

• When you can physically move

• When anger or agitation is rising

• When you feel keyed up and stuck

• When breathing alone doesn’t settle things

• Before conversations, you’re worried about handling poorly

This skill works exceptionally well between calls, during breaks, or immediately after incidents.