{"id":25998,"date":"2026-05-07T07:05:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkyourself.com\/?p=25998"},"modified":"2026-05-07T07:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:03:51","slug":"stuck-for-52-hours-panic-or-perform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkyourself.com\/fr\/stuck-for-52-hours-panic-or-perform\/","title":{"rendered":"STUCK FOR 52 HOURS: WOULD YOU PANIC OR PERFORM?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Airports are a great place to test your ability to turn off the panic button because there are plenty of stressful situations when you travel. I got stuck for 52 hours.<\/p>\n

Watch the video or continue reading to find out more.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m at the airport right now, on my way to a speaking engagement in Toronto and then heading to Victoria, so I spend a lot of time in airports. Last winter, my husband and I got stuck in Quebec City for 52 hours while they were trying to fix the door of the aircraft.<\/p>\n

The part they needed to close the aircraft door was coming from Ontario. We were told it was on its way, but instead of being flown in, it had to travel by vehicle because the part itself was highly explosive and could not be transported on an airplane. Ironically, they were going to use it to fix the door of an airplane.<\/p>\n

There were so many stressful elements to the whole situation, but they never explained all of that to us. They simply kept saying, \u201cIt\u2019s delayed for another hour\u2026 another hour\u2026 another hour.\u201d At the end of each day, they would give us hotel vouchers and tell us to come back the next morning. This went on for two nights, spending full days at the airport.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: it was stressful.<\/p>\n

At one point, because if you\u2019ve met me, you probably know what I do for a living, I sat there thinking, \u201cThis is actually great. I get to work. I get to catch up on emails. I get to respond to people.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had a training session I needed to prepare, so I completed that. I had a PowerPoint presentation to build, so I finished that too. Fifty-two hours is a lot of time to move projects forward.<\/p>\n

Then, at one point, I thought, \u201cI\u2019m just going to relax now. I\u2019m going to watch some Netflix.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was watching something really funny and laughing when my husband looked at me and said, \u201cWhat are you doing? Why are you laughing? This is not funny. This is terrible. We\u2019re stuck at the airport. Stop being so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

I started laughing even more, and then he started laughing too. He said, \u201cYeah, actually, you\u2019re right. Maybe we should just let it go. It doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone around us was frustrated, mean, and grouchy, but at the end of the day, you just have to do what you have to do.<\/p>\n

There are so many tools you can use to turn off that panic button and regain control of your prefrontal cortex.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself a few simple questions:
\nWill panicking help?
\nWill the part arrive faster if I\u2019m grouchy?
\nWhat can I do right now?
\nHow do I move forward?<\/p>\n

I could have booked another flight. In my case, I didn\u2019t really have anywhere urgent to be, so it was a little easier to stay calm. But if I had needed to be somewhere immediately, there were other airlines and other means of transportation I could have used.<\/p>\n

The key is to become resourceful.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself:
\nWhat\u2019s my next step?
\nWho do I need to contact?
\nWho do I need to inform?
\nWho can help me with this?
\nWho can step in for me?<\/p>\n

Do you have someone who could do what you do and save the day if you somehow couldn\u2019t make it?<\/p>\n

There are always options, but the first step is getting ahold of yourself.<\/p>\n

When you are in a good mood and sending feel-good chemicals through your bloodstream, that is when you are resourceful. That is when your brain works for you.<\/p>\n

When you are in prefrontal cortex overload\u2014panicking, angry, frustrated, and emotionally overwhelmed\u2014that is when you are not at your best. That is also when you may regret a few things you say to the poor airline agent who is simply trying to help.<\/p>\n

They are just doing their job. It\u2019s not their fault.<\/p>\n

Actually, it is often nobody\u2019s fault. Parts break. Things happen.<\/p>\n

So remember that on your next airport trip.<\/p>\n

And when something goes wrong, do your best to control your own prefrontal cortex, because that is where you live\u2014inside your own head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out some of my previous blog posts…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The One Habit that Keeps Leaders Stuck<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What if Everyone is Wrong?<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What Movie Trailers Influence Your Decisions?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Airports are a great place to test your ability to turn off the panic button because there are plenty of stressful situations when you travel. I got stuck for 52 hours. Watch the video or continue reading to find out more. I\u2019m at the airport right now, on my way to a speaking engagement in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":25999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"tve_updated_post":"

Airports are a great place to test your ability to turn off the panic button because there are plenty of stressful situations when you travel. I got stuck for 52 hours.<\/p>

Watch the video or continue reading to find out more.<\/p><\/div>

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