LPT: when someone close to you is having an emotional meltdown, let them do so without spewing solutions or alternatives they should have chosen at them

Especially important in romantic relationships, but also very handy for close friends and family. They're broken for a moment and that's okay. Let them be there. Comfort them as much as you can. Calm them down. Help them back up. And after they've calmed, then start to help fix the actual issue that caused the breakdown.

I've learned this through experience. People just want to feel overwhelmed and hurt when they have a breakdown. They don't want to hear what needs to be done to fix it or what they should have done. They just want to get the emotion out of them. Most people do this alone, and for understandable reasons. If you're there when a loved one falls to pieces, don't put them back together until they are ready.

If you fall off a ladder while trying to change a light bulb, you don't keep trying to change it on your back. You make sure you're okay, stand up, deal with any injuries, then find out why you fell and how to avoid it.