How do I prevent this product from crashing?

Hi Rebecca. That's a tough one to answer without knowing the specifics of your system, version of your OS and InDesign, etc.. I understand the frustration, though. My answer was to become part of the InDesign prerelease program more than a decade. It gives you a voice directly to the engineers, allows detailed bug reporting and plugs you into a community of professional users who can often come up with answers you might not get elsewhere. Go to adobeprerelease.com and apply. At the least, you'll feel like you have more of a voice. For myself, I feel that users of professional-grade tools should always take an active role in their development. We have a vested interest, after all! The InDesign Secrets website and forum are also rich sources of info and assistance, well worth your time.