I had a helpful revelation that was reinforced by the advice that I produced in letterpress form at:

https://ruk.ca/content/everyone-totally-freaked-out-all-time

“Try to make those around you as comfortable as possible. Try to ignore apparent slights. Remember: everyone is totally freaked out all the time.”

I return to this notion frequently, especially when in complicated or novel social situations, and I find it very comforting; it can change the construct from “OMG, I’m drowning here!!” to “oh, we’re all just floating here and we’re really not quite sure what to do.” That’s a very helpful shift 😉