When technology breaks, the real breakdown isn't in the machine—it's in the mind.

We’ve all seen it: someone calls in a panic over a moved icon, a frozen screen, or a cryptic error message. Our first instinct is often to take over the controls, fire off rapid fixes, or minimize their frustration because the fix seems obvious to us. But while the machine gets patched, the person on the other end is left feeling foolish, overwhelmed, and anxious around the technology.

In Tech Panic, technology translator Steve Merriott shares practical insights from years on the front lines of IT support. This concise field guide reveals why sudden digital changes trigger fight-or-flight anxiety and shows technicians how to de-escalate that dread before touching a single setting.

Because before we can fix the machine, we have to calm the human.