As an adult, I have been in several very dangerous situations- car wrecks, etc. and I have always felt something switch off in my head. I am unable to panic, I have no emotions, I just do what needs to be done. It is a very strange sensation. I have had the feeling of panic in my life but it has been in the context of losing a loved one or a non-life threatening scenario. I was pondering a memory and thought I would ask the people here what your experience with panic has been. All types are very welcome to comment.
Very few "real-life" danger things make me panic. I, too, have been in dangerous situations, and what happens is that my mind immediately clicks into crisis mode and I calmly respond to what is going on without even over-thinking, I just calmly deal and get through it... then usually right afterward, I feel my adrenaline kick in and my pulse starts to race. But during the problem, I'm steady as a rock.
(I had this one funny incident when driving after some snow a year ago -- I was calling a friend to say I'd be late, hit an off-ramp doing about 45mph, hit a pocket of snow cuz the ramp wasn't well-cleared, and the whole rear-end of my car started fishtailing BAD. What did I do? Calmly steered the car out of it -- dropped my foot off the gas, took a few hard swings in either direction of the wheel to steady it out with my LEFT hand, all while continuing to talk to my friend with my right hand... and after, I was like, "Well, THAT was interesting." I was kinda amazed at how I didn't even think about it, I just automatically did exactly what would work to fix things, and meanwhile kept talking on the phone like nothing was wrong!)
However, things that have left me panicked?
- Once (years ago) I made a mistake about what hours I could claim on my timecard, and I got a call telling me I had to repay my employer a substantial sum of money at the time. (Technically, they were the ones that screwed up by paying me, and I wish I had fought them on it.) Anyway, after I hung up the phone, my pulse raced like mad, I got dizzy and cold, started hyperventilating, and almost passed out. I had to put my head down on the desk in my office for a good ten minutes before the panic attack ended.
- When I leap in and let people see things about what I think and feel, then realize I really put myself out there and I might end up losing someone forever if they don't respond well to my being honest, I kinda freak out inside. You can't tell on the surface, really, but inside I'm having a panic attack and have to hold myself together. It's not like it hasn't happen before (most notably, with one of my parents), so the "danger" can be real.
I wonder if not panicking is always a good thing? Is panic sometimes an appropriate response? Going icy calm in scary situations has, on occasion, gotten strange responses from my companions.
