Panic

Date: 28-04-2023

I wonder how different people behave when they are panicked. Panics may differ in type, context and duration. some are instantaneous like in a sudden accident, an assault or an unexpected change in your plans. others can persist and devour you over years like dealing with mental health issues and the panic induced by the corresponding identity crises.

Does one get taught on how to deal with this?

is it ok to judge someone’s character based on how they handle such a situation?

especially in cases of accidents or assaults, is it always some built-in genetically-coded instinct that takes over or does your subconscious get a moment to break through?

Do you always loose or change a part of yourself?

Can one go through these without lossing diginity and self-respect?

There doesn’t seem to be any agreed-upon code of conduct for the victim or the spectators.

Ah well, maybe there is a social code of conduct but not a personal or individual one.

I learned a lot about myself in these situations and it was not always as a pleasant revelation. Many such moments made me question my strength, my emotional stability and my prudence. I felt my social image completely break down in many of those moments; how I present myself to the world and how I deal with reality evaporated before my senses. But how much of my reaction was me and how much of it was the survival instinct that developed over past experiences?