Oh, for the love of ...

Don't do this.

Me, noodling about with NightCafe.

Let’s just get right in it on this dreary Saturday morning:

Ganked off of the Internet

There are three problems in this photo: two obvious ones, and a third that is causing the other two.

For those more innocent Gentle Readers the two obvious problems are:

1. That wound doesn’t really need a tourniquet; and

2. If it did require a tourniquet, the location she’s putting it renders the tourniquet completely useless.

The less-obvious, albeit more important, issue is that she is panicking.

“Panic” is defined as, “A sudden strong feeling of anxiety or fear that prevents reasonable thought and action.” Do take strong notice of the “prevents reasonable thought and action”.

This comes in a couple of forms. The first is the hysterical¹ form that most people immediately think of when you mention panic, the second is far more insidious. In the second form of panic the affected person outwardly presents as calm and lucid, but under closer inspection they’re not acting reasonably or rationally.

Everyone can recognize the hysterical form of panic. It is dangerous to the panicking person because in the middle of the screaming and running, the panicking person can — and will — run headlong into danger, eyes wide open. It is dangerous to other people due to trying to rescue or save the panickee, and it is especially dangerous because this kind of panic can be contagious².

The other kind of panic — to my mind — is much worse. The person panicking doesn’t look like what we expect a panicking person to look like; and while their actions don’t make sense³, in the heat of the moment it’s doing something, so other people may follow along. This goes double if the panicking person is in a position of authority. This version is not only more insidious, but I think — especially in these ‘civilised’ times — it may be more common than we think.

Don’t believe me? Cast your mind back to the Recent COVID Over-Reaction. Your loved one — grand-parent, parent, spouse — is dying. You are forbidden to see them because … you might give them COVID. You might give a actively dying loved one (who has already “Bought the ticket, and is just waiting on the train” as we say in Texas) an illness.

Sitting in a coffee shop, looking at that objectively — this is not a rational or reasonable thought or action. It’s panic.

Of course, during that whole sorry episode⁴ we saw plenty of the hysterical form of panic, but the real damage came from authority figures who were doing irrational, illogical things, and — because they were Authority — folks followed along.

See what I mean when I consider the quiet panic to be much worse?

“That’s all well and good, Ian, but how should I avoid panic?”

Well, first off, don’t make the mistake of confusing “fear” and “panic”. Fear is good. Fear is necessary⁵. Fear is what stimulates the adrenal glands and the pituitary gland into releasing that stuff that turns us from squishy hairless office apes into nightmares that bodied sabretoothed cats, mirked the cave-bears, and lifts cars off of tea-cup humans⁶.

Secondly, once you’ve accepted that fear is normal, learn to use it and learn to think with it. Put yourself under stress in controlled environments and controlled situations. Does this mean going to a gym, or taking a Two Vs One class? No. One of the calmest men I’ve known got that way by riding every roller-coaster⁷ he could find in three states.

Third. Learn to Eat The Elephant⁸. Oft times folks take a look at the enormity of the situation they’re facing, and it overwhelms them. Remember that every situation is a composite of smaller parts, take those parts, break those parts down into handy, manageable⁹ pieces — usually with a “YES/NO” response, and deal with each of those smaller pieces.

Your partner has a gunshot wound to the leg? Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!

Well, let’s break that down. Is he somewhere safe, Yes or No? Solve that problem. Once he’s safe, have you actually put your Mark One, Mod 0 Eyeball on the GSW, Yes or No? Ok, you’ve now seen the GSW, does it need pressure and packing, Yes or No? It needs a tourniquet, does he have his own, Yes or No? You now have a tourniquet in your hot little hands, are you following the training, Yes or No?

Oh, look. The elephant has been consumed. Problem solved, problem staying solved.

Teach yourself not to panic, if not for yourself, for the sake of everyone else taking their nibbles, because no problem ever got better because you added your panic to the mess.

Ian

1. “When in trouble,
When in doubt,
Run in circles,
Scream and shout.”

2. One hysterical person is irksome. A crowd of hysterical people is a quick way to becoming a sticky spot of goo if you happen to be between them and where they’re wanting to go.

3. Like — I don’t know — applying a tourniquet to the wrong side of an injury.

4. Whole bunch of people would be happier if their conduct during that time was quietly swept under the rug. Bygones be bygones and all that. Póg mo thóin.

5. If you’re about to do something dangerous and you’re not feeling a skoshy little bit of fear, give over and get a desk job.

6. Yes, I realize that adrenaline and endorphins can be released through exercise, certain foods, and other things. I’m here to tell you nothing turbo-charges that adrenaline release quite like a good, healthy shot of scared.

7. He had screaming acrophobia.

8. How do you eat an elephant? Simple — one bite at a time.

9. One might even say “bite-sized”.