Taking a moment to be silent when faced with stressful and confusing situations can have enormous value, as you can see in this article.

Pausing silently gives us space to reflect carefully and manage our emotions. Instead of simply reacting, pausing gives us the ability to choose how best to act. Developing this skill can also increase your intercultural abilities. Being able to stop in intercultural interactions and consider questions like these may help you to make better choices about how to act.

• What judgments am I making? Am I jumping to conclusions without fully understanding?
• How might this situation look to someone from a different cultural background?
• What questions can I ask that might help bring clarity in this interaction?