A dear friend once told me, as I was stuck in a very crowded train station and starting to panic, to pretend that the crowd and I are seconds away from busting out into a giant flash mob dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” This remans the single best advice I’ve ever received for calming my anxiety in crowded spaces and feeling like I can breathe.

Particularly because once you picture the scene and start maniacally laughing to yourself, people give you some space.