By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
Someone is losing it on you - how can you calm them down? Is there a way to end someone's meltdown? Whether that upset person is 2, 12, 22, 42 or older, all meltdowns have something important in common: adrenaline. Screaming, crying, ranting, or otherwise temporarily crazy people, are NOT able to process information well because the adrenaline shuts down their processing centers. You'll have to wait it out for the verbal crowd; you MAY sometimes be able to hold and calm a hysterical toddler (but not always). When the fire has died down, the brain will open up again and your words of caring, understanding and validation can NOW open the way to proper communication and problem resolution.