Smart people check where the exits are before they walk into a situation, not after it turns bad.

Knowing how you would leave changes how calmly you can stay. That holds for a party, a group project, a job, a conversation you suspect will go sideways. Work it out in advance and the situation loses total power over you, because you are there by choice minute to minute. Work it out mid panic and the options get much worse.

Before the next thing you feel slightly unsure about, answer two questions. How do I get home, and who do I text if this stops being fun. Then go and enjoy it.