You know, when they are waffling back an forth, getting angry, whatever it is that we can't control... I like to vision myself on a boat in a storm. I can't control the weather, but I have to steer my boat. There are rocks around and the shore is looming... so I steer as well as I can, and while I can't ignore the storm, I don't let have all of my attention.
And I'm not even a sailor or a boat owner. I have more analogies where that came from. ;-)
<sigh>