COMIC: Don’t panic! 6 strategies to keep you calm in a crisis

House fires, mass shootings, emergency medical procedures and mental health crises. Emergencies can happen at any time — and knowing how to overcome feelings of panic, stress and indecision can be a matter of life or death.

Ryan Fields-Spack, a veteran first responder who has worked as a paramedic, a fire captain and a firefighter, and Dr. Italo Brown, an emergency physician and assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, share real-world tactics they use on the job to stay cool and focused.

Anika Orrock is a writer, illustrator, cartoonist and author of The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.


This story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected].

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit.

 

Jan. 6 plaque honoring police officers is now displayed at the Capitol after a 3-year delay

Visitors to the Capitol in Washington now have a visible reminder of the siege there on Jan. 6, 2021, and the officers who fought and were injured that day.

Authorities searching debris after suspected tornadoes kill 6 in Michigan, Oklahoma

A 12-year-old boy is reported to be among the dead following powerful storms that stretched across the middle of the country.

Opinion: The immorality of betting on war

Traders on prediction markets bet on nearly anything. One made more than half a million dollars betting on the U.S. strike against Iran. But should people wager on human suffering?

Alabama man facing execution for deadly robbery asks for clemency as he didn’t kill victim

Charles “Sonny” Burton is scheduled to be executed March 12 for his role in a 1991 robbery in which a man was fatally shot. His supporters and attorney are asking the governor for clemency, arguing that his life should be spared because Burton didn’t fire the gun or witness the killing.

Curling had its moment at the Olympics and now Paralympics. It sparked a curling bonanza in America

Hundreds of people become interested in curling every four years and the 2026 numbers already show that boom.

One week into the Iran war, the fallout is global

The war is no longer just about the U.S., Israel and Iran. More countries are getting caught in the political crossfire or being drawn into the fighting themselves.

More Front Page Coverage