One of the least helpful things to do in a crisis, is panic. Your next actions become unpredictable and you can’t be sure what you do will be helpful or not. Panic is also a natural reaction, of course – some conditioning is required to prevent it.

Being in the armed forces taught me the motto ‘train hard, fight easy’. The principle is universally valid. Practice what is difficult ahead of time (even if only in the mind or in simulation), so you can respond better when the real test comes.

We usually focus only on what is right in front of us, so we’re not prepared to do anything other than panic.