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In this fourth in our 5-part focus on healthy coping mechanisms, we explore how to cope in the moment when things get stressful. We explore the impact of our physiological response and instinct in these moments: You can’t “time manage” your way out of a crisis shift. When the pressure hits and the moving parts won’t stop moving, the difference often comes down to one thing: whether people feel safe enough to speak up and lean on each other. We talk with railway operations leader Chris Parsons about what it takes to keep a service moving when pressure spikes, and how healthy coping mechanisms become a team habit instead of a private struggle.

Chris shares the leadership behaviours that build psychological safety long before things go wrong: asking “how can I help,” being honest when you don’t know an answer, and having the personal conversations early so trust is already there when stress rises. We also get into practical, in-the-moment support that actually works on shift, from taking part of a colleague’s workload to something as basic as making sure they get a drink or lunch when stepping away could mean losing control of an incident.

We come back to trust, early conversations, and practical support that protects people first and performance second.