junebug,
sometimes i get all flustered cuz i've been asked something i'm not ready to answer! i feel like i'm up against a wall and then i (sometimes) remember:
i don't have to say anything right now.
oh, i don't mean be all snotty or give the silent treatment, but
"I need time to think about that" works wonders.
you need a stall? you got it.
you feel like you're gonna snap right now, well, the end of the month is in a few days!! yay! then you will be able to breathe and THEN, maybe, some of those answers will be within reach.