How to keep cool and remain calm..

[Providence Ranch]

GG said it best. Maintain your situational awareness at high yellow all times possible. Try to see trouble coming, and get ahead of it. We all know its not a matter of "if" trouble comes our way, but rather "when." This should make us all a little less surprised when it finally does. Expect it, and you won't have to add that "holy crap is this really happening" moment to your response time. Your OODA loop will already be behind the bad guy's. No sense in making it way behind. For those of you not familiar, every decision is based on four steps:

Observe
Orient
Decide
Act

The bad guy has already decided, and is likely on the act step. If we are lucky, we will already have oriented to trouble coming and decided what we will do if a handful of scenarios play out. If we get caught flat-footed, we get to start at the top, which adds the "oh crap" factor, and possibly an involuntary bodily function or two, to our response.

Train, develop scenarios and work them out in your mind beforehand, but most critically, be on the alert, and play the "what would i do if..." game every day, no matter where you are.

[Tucker's Mom]

As has been alluded to above, the training and visualization aspects matter the most.

The next thing to try to do is avoid the "startle reaction" that comes with being suddenly confronted by surprise threats to our lifes.

That's where projected thinking comes into effect. For instance, while driving, I am constantly on the alert for "bad situations" arising, either real or imagined. It's kind of like saying to yourself upon seeing another driver; "What is the most illogical and dangerous thing this driver can do to threaten me?", and make mental preparation for the worst case scenario actually taking place.

Not trying to claim that that attitude infallably works, but I have been accident free in over 50 years of driving, thus far. (Knock on wood.) Coincidence? Who knows?

Same toward personal encounters, to a certain extent.

Situational awareness counts. What you are aware of will not cause nearly the surprise factor that not being "aware" will cause. It's the "mental preparation" that makes the difference. Even the mental "practice" of it helps in overall readiness, even if nothing comes of it.

Paranoia and preparedness, cousins in concept.

GG

My only accident was when my son was about 3 years of age. He is now nearly 28 years of age. I haven't even collected any traffic nor parking violations compared to him who collected 81 of both and was proud of it. My not paying for any of them made him realized that Mom will not always be there to cover his back. Hubby said I am the calmest person he has ever been around in his life...if they only knew...

I had not been in a real scary situation as some of you...do you have time to take a deep breath to calm you down when faced by a situation wherein you have to defend your life. Lately I have been practicing on taking a deep breath as I draw my gun. I am on the slow motion bit yet on this. Do you think this will help?

[cc_ryder]

Here is a link that might be helpful.

Lt. Col Dave Grossman's Bullet-Proofing the Mind - A MUST for every concealed-carrier

[Tucker's Mom]

Here is a link that might be helpful.

Lt. Col Dave Grossman's Bullet-Proofing the Mind - A MUST for every concealed-carrier

It is a long read but thanks...I will have it on the background until I get out of here and be able to read it properly. I certainly appreciate that link.