Hands off the console

Any organism tends to homeostasis. That is, to stability, predictability, calm.

This means that any shaking, any abrupt change creates stress. Especially, if at 3 o'clock in the morning, especially if you immediately need to do something with it, understand, repair ...
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Who is familiar with the situation when something very important (database, financial service, general ipad) is suddenly stopped working. It always happens all of a sudden ... And as luck would have it, you answer with your head for this important thing.

Most people, including me, are under real stress at this moment. Strong and dangerous.

I remember cases when we did work on setting up network security at RAO UES of Russia at night, and then they called us "urgently-all_sleaky-mend!". How many shoals I could have avoided if I hadn’t racked at once to drive in teams with a pounding heart ... How many excuses could one not have invented. After all, I am ashamed to admit my hastiness and stupidity ...

Let me remind you to be precise: stress is the reaction of the body. Physiological. Adrenaline is injected, blood flow to the legs increases, norepinephrine and cortisol (into the brain) are secreted. You ask why?

Run, of course. And the sooner the better! The body first of all seeks to escape, so that there, in peace and quiet, to deal with the problem, if it remains at all.

What is a "run" in case of a technological problem? I think that this is avoidance, all sorts of “excuses” - we are not guilty, I am not responsible for this, everything is fine with me, etc.

If it is impossible to run, then our ancient reptile brain chooses the second alternative - to fight!

“Fight” in our case is to attack. You can attack the one who brought the message (for example, to deny or devalue what was said, they say you are always from an elephant’s fly, you don’t understand a damn thing). This is a normal reaction, but it does not lead to a solution. Or you can attack the unfortunate piece of iron

If, however, it is impossible to fight, then only the third reaction remains - to stand still! And at this moment a huge amount of physiological energy is “packed” in the body. According to my observations, people working with complex IT systems tend to react with fading. Numbness only outside looks calm. From within at this time a chemical fountain rages, which urges the body into action, but there is no way out.

And at this moment - ATTENTION - the maximum reaction, concentration, adequacy, all experience and mind are required of you! And at the same time, you can never be who you want! There is also a simple reason for this: with a raging internal fountain, the concentration of neurotransmitters in the brain is so high that only the strongest pass signals between synapses (processes of neurons). And this means that only the most simple, learned, crude methods emerge in the brain.

From experience: if you block access, you will definitely “pull the cord out of the switch”, if something doesn't work, immediately restart without bothering to remove the logs for analysis, if the virtual machine is transferred to another farm, the post office works, then roll back an unverified backup in parallel and lose the correspondence for a week forever ... So much I had seen enough (and I did, which is no secret) for 12 years.

Remember: in a state of stress, a person thinks NOT EFFECTIVELY ! Evolution has programmed us to run away from stress, and not effectively solve smart puzzles!

And we climb with trembling hands into the warmest and defenseless bowels of IT systems, cut them alive without anesthesia, operate with a kitchen knife, do an abortion to a completely healthy child ...

What to do?

If possible, you need to do the following:
1. Put yourself in order. How? Reset part of the motor and emotional energy, defuse.
2. To wait in a calm atmosphere for at least 20 minutes is the time that the body needs to reduce the level of “chemistry” in the brain and body. It will by itself become easier and thoughts will become slimmer. After all, in stress you do not lose your intellect, experience and knowledge. They are just temporarily “not available” in full.
3. To act, trying to protect oneself from new, induced stresses, such as a screaming chief, "When_ Already all_Will__All_Ivol!" Or whining users.

If delay is not possible, then in this case you can help yourself. How?

1. Write on paper the algorithm that you are going to do. This activity activates the neocortex responsible for logic. Do not fantasize, but just take a piece of paper, a pen and write!
2. Do not make hasty decisions “I will first do it, then I will figure it out.” This is usually the most dangerous and exacerbates the problem.
3. Try to attract someone else who knows. Technique "4 eyes" gives good results to prevent the deterioration of the "patient"
4. Use instructions. They were written not by fools and in a calm atmosphere.

But in any case, all this requires skills. Work with yourself and activities in stress. This can be taught and learned. This is your contribution to the stability of the world in which we live and depend on IT systems!

Save the world from the crazy admin!