The most scared you have ever been...

[Progster]

If the bad situation is happening to me, then I tend to panic, and that's bad, because I lose control and bolt. If it's happening to someone else, I remain calm, in control and able to help the person.

 

[Streetwise]

I love water, I have loved it since I was tiny... But burning up or drowning would be the 2 ways I would not want to die... I'm glad you figured your situation out as well... : )

I have had so many anxiety and panic attacks that I can basically hide them at this point. But it was how I noticed how different they were than how the real thing is... I somehow want to use that, but not sure how...

write down everything you remember from the minute you got the phone call in the bank ,I've started to realise today I've got to feel the panic !not try to think the panic !but feel it !and!remember the panic and your thoughts are not connected ! they are separate! They very close but not connected !I think it's just because they're very close that you think they are connected.

 

[Bro'Freak]

I guess that the single most unsettling & scary thing I have ever experienced was the feeling I had when I saw my dad in hospital that first time after the cancer operation. He'd had two foot of his large intestine removed, the stitching on the join had sealed across the tube, thus causing a blockage that eventually burst through the front stitches on his abdomen when he stood up one day. He'd been through hell from what I gathered as they couldn't use a general anesthetic so soon after the last time for the actual operation. So my dad had to go through having his bowels cleaned & sorted out whilst he was conscious. I had no idea of what to expect as I arrived the at the hospital that day & I don't think anything could have prepared me for the tidal wave of emotions that swept over me as I had my first glimpse of dad half naked, weak, covered in tubes & drains.
Gladly he has healed up well & the cancer is no longer a threat.

 

[wight]

Now how do I retrofit that intense FOCUS into my everyday life???

Speaking from personal experience, you don't want this. It gets to be a habit and then you can't turn it off. I get the appeal, but it has consequences that are best avoided.

So far I feel blank and emotionless or just sad I guess. I sort of just feel lost and sick down deep deep inside...

This is completely normal and healthy, Chance. Would you believe me if I said you are better off dealing with these sort of events as they come?

 

[clg114]

I think that the most scared that I have been is when I lost my youngest son in a supermarket. He was about four years old at the time, so that was about thirty years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. You hear on the news about people taking little kids and they are never seen again. That was the first thing that I thought of. I am normally a very calm person, even when bad things are happening. But this got to me big time. It was only about five or ten minutes before I found him, but that was the longest ten minutes of my life.

 

[Streetwise]

Its not about topping anything dude... We arent doing one ups that I know of...
It's sickening more than anything... I sort of just feel lost and sick down deep deep inside, but very very grateful at the same time...
It could have been so so much worse. : )

I had the same feeling when they burned the allotment ,I could happily strangle them ,there aren't that many trees on the allotment and they burned one completely black and a metal fence for the person who owned that part of the allotment blocked out the fence so it looks even more like a ghetto

 

[Gracey]

Sat drinking with two muckers/oppo’s
after hours in a lock in whilst on detachment to one of N.I’s smaller hospitals.

I’d had enough (back teeth were floating) duty driver was returning to HQ so I made my excuses, said goodnight and left them to it. I could grab a free ride back to HQ with duty driver and sleep in my own bed.

The room used for the bar/lock in wasn’t there in the morning, my muckers were still there but in smaller pieces. An incendiary had taken out an area in the basement of the hospital.

33 minutes.
That was the length of time between my leaving them to it and the blast.

I threw out my thanks to the universe and that duty driver and made the most of life (for a while)

Initially I was scared of what could have been, even though the fact remains, I wasn’t there.
Bit of a difficult one to get my head around.


I did notice earlier on in the thread a mention of ‘one-up-man-ship’? (Perhaps I’m mistaken?)

I just wanted to add, fear is fear. Irrespective of the circumstances that brought it about.

A child experiencing abuse has the same levels of trauma and anxiety as a serving soldier in combat.
Fear is fear. circumstance doesn’t dictate entitlement and therefore invalidate another’s experience.

All have the ability to feel the same levels irrespective of what preceded it.

Just sayin’

(That came out a bit ‘full on’)
Sorry

 

[Fitzo]

what I never understand is when there is a wildfire /fire in Australia and it's all black how little green things start to appear ?????and why is there a tree in Australia that only releases its seed if there is a fire ?that's wrong .

It's because fires have been part of the ecosystem for thousands of years. Usually started by lightening. Many species actually thrive after a fire. The aborigines understood this and strategically used fire to promote new growth.

 

[tree]

Yeah, controlled burn is a technique used in forested areas.
Very common in Louisiana, for instance.
Controlled burn - Wikipedia

My mother lived at the edge of a national forest, in Louisiana,
and every year there were controlled burns done, to prevent
run away accidental fires.

 

[Fitzo]

Yeah, controlled burn is a technique used in forested areas.
Very common in Louisiana, for instance.
Controlled burn - Wikipedia

My mother lived at the edge of a national forest, in Louisiana,
and every year there were controlled burns done, to prevent
run away accidental fires.

Controlled burns are commonplace here as a bushfire prevention tool, but I was referring to the way the native population used them to promote new growth for thousands of years. Long before white men came and built houses.

 

[Mia]

Once got lost with eighteen, nine to ten year old boys in a forest I wasn't familiar with. One of the boys initially became frightened during the walk and began to run into the woods, off the paths, he may have been autistic and decided to bolt all of a sudden.

Called to my teen counselor in training, to keep the others boys with her, and stay where they were. Instead she became afraid and everyone ran after me as I was running after the frightened boy. He ran for about two hours into the densest part of the woods. Finally caught up with him and tackled him to the ground. Eventually he calmed down. He had run in so many different directions I was completely lost. I couldn't find any paths, except animal paths.

My teen counselor was terrified and absolutely no help, she kept referring to a movie called 'sleep-away camp' and all the horrible things that could happen in the woods. She was frightening some of the boys, many of whom were city kids and had never spent time in the woods. I took her aside, and helped her to calm down, and told her I needed her help. And that she was a counselor, and had to be a good example. I could see her becoming less frightened as I told her what her job was. She straightened her shoulders, and took a big breath. I began to organize the boys, as it was almost dusk. They were to sit in groups on the ground, while I climbed a tree, to find out where the sun was setting. I had no compass, and it was getting dark.

These were dense woods, conifer and maple and beech. Fifty to one hundred year old softwood and some hardwood. Very little undergrowth, lots of rock and on the canadian shield. Very little soil, mostly pine needle, leaves, deadwood. I looked around to find a tree that I could climb with low enough branches, that wouldn't topple, a lot of these trees have very little purchase on the shield and shallow root systems. So they're dangerous, a strong wind can make they fall over, especially if there's been a lot of rain. I kept repeating to myself, 'sun rises in the east and sets in the west'. I climbed a skinny maple with reachable branches. The sun was almost gone, but I could see a glimmer of it. I shinnied down the tree, and drew the direction of the western setting sun on the ground, and it's opposite direction east. Couldn't see any stars, the conifers were so dense, and the sky slightly overcast.

I knew the camp was northeast but not exactly where I was. I decided we would walk west, and follow the light. I made the boys walk two by two behind me, with the counselor bringing up the back, and any stragglers. And so we set off, walking toward the setting sun. The boys didn't seem scared, they seemed kind of excited as I looked back at them now and then. No one complained. None of them fidgeted, or talked, they kept up as we made our way over rock, around trees, around a swamp so green it glowed incandescently. We walked for about three hours, and then rested. I was lucky, there was a somewhat bright full moon that night. I kept them walking west, after that. My instincts came back, even thought I was afraid that we might have to spend in the night in the woods. I thought about constructing shelters and pine bough beds as I walked, if necessary.

The forest became low bush, and I found a rutted lumber road. Then I found telephone poles, and we followed telephone pole lines, and there was a house and a barn and parked in front, a large white van. That's what made me happy and no longer afraid, seeing the van, big enough to hold all of us. I knocked on the door, and told the couple who answered that we were lost, and asked if they knew where the camp was? I could see them looking at all the boys sitting on the lawn exhausted. At that point we had walked about six hours. They drove us all back to the camp, which had an emergency plan in place, in case anyone ever became lost in the woods. The entire camp came out to greet us, and the police and a K9 unit, and a group of cadets ready to begin at first light in the search for all of us. I think that was probably the most frightened I've ever been, the boys were dressed in shorts and t-shirts and getting cold. On my own I would have simply built a shelter and waited for morning. But I was responsible for those boys and their survival and safety. I'm proud I got them out unharmed even though they were exhausted, with only a few scratches and bug bites.

 

[pax]

Natural disasters are scary, especially as the first thing to go is often power and communication. So everyone is petrified of the unknown. I've been through fires, floods, and a couple earthquakes, one pretty bad(5.6) When see I photos like Chance's I get chills.

Last natural disaster I went through was a flood. There were rumours that there would be high rainfall and some people were declaring the day before that they would not be coming in. There had been rain overnight, but no flooding where I lived, about 45km away, and I had work to prepare for later in the week. So being the conscientious aspie I am, I went in. In between leaving and getting there, a text had gone out to not come in, but I was there now, as were a few others, so decided to get work done.

As I was finishing what I had to do about an hour later, it started pelting again, and a few of us decided to get out. The driveway was starting to flood, as I left and got about a k up the road to see cars stalled on the side of the road. I got maybe 10k further, and the water was rising in front of me. The road was on a raised embankment, and I had water in front and behind, rising. At that point I made a split second decision to drive DOWN into an industrial/commercial estate (you can see where this is going) and parked my car at the highest point.

Over the next couple hours, the water drained from the road down to the complex, and the lowest lying shops and car parks started flooding - there were reports of cars flaoting in the back carpark; and we watched as people got stuck trying to get out the now flooded car park entrance, and the road above. After a couple of hours they managed to clear the road and drag the cars off it and someone laid planks down in the water and guided us up the hill and onto the road and I drove off only to be stranded another 15 or so k down the road. finally got a message to my husband who said I might be able to get through on a back road. The road was narrow, raised, with no shoulder, and with a car revving behind me I had to drive through flood water to get through - hit something on the way through, automatically hit the brake, then hit the accelerator - and miraculously got traction.

So my 40 minute commute took about 5 hours, but at least I got home.

 

[Streetwise]

It's because fires have been part of the ecosystem for thousands of years. Usually started by lightening. Many species actually thrive after a fire. The aborigines understood this and strategically used fire to promote new growth.

thanks

 

[Full Steam]

1) on losing my first baby, 3 months into pregnancy.

2) the realisation that hormones only took you so far with child rearing.
If I’d have lived in a village tribe where the emphasis is on survival skills, hunting and providing for the village, simple enough eh?

The scarey bit was realising in order to fit in my children had to be productive and contributing members of society.
Saying and doing the right things, sociable, caring, able to make their own money to live on (problem solving)

I had to go and get a few qualifications at night school and research like billio in order to set them on the right track without squashing their own individuality.

I’ve been afraid/ terrified many times in my life to date.
I’ll add more when I’ve organised my thoughts.

Had the same as you with no1.

Not sure it was fear, but it was the worst, most sickening feeling I've had.

@Chance, honestly I've been in many scrapes, but nothing to match that.

I suspect once you get over it you may be able to look at what you did and take pride and strength from it. Awesome job.

My top fear times:

Rolling backwards in an SUV, that had popped out of gear, down steep muddy slope with only fallen trees across the path to slow me down. Big crash, and two trees on top of my car.

40 metres plus under the sea in a huge ship wreck (sister ship of the titanic - SS Coolidge), I'm running low on air, and can't get to the guide to tell him, and I'm very narked (nitrogen narcosis) . I had to share my wife's air, then use the emergency tank on the way back up.
I'll never do more than 30 metres ever again.

Riding my bike too fast on roads I knew pretty well. Hammered over a blind summit, thinking I'd seen the whole road clear. Two horse riders riding abreast in the dip of the next Valley.
I slammed on the brakes and pulled in the clutch as I passed then trying not to spook the horses. No way I could have stopped in time. I feel pretty bad about that, as it was reckless and could have been really bad.

I actually think the most scared I've been was with the sleep disturbances I used to get. Like maybe night terrors or something.

I usually keep my cool ok with physical stuff. A snake tried to bite me last week

 

[Full Steam]

Another one:

New Orleans after a very drunken night, about 8 of use get a mini bus taxi home.

Driver starts acting weird, and just before we get back home, he starts getting agitated for no reason, then turns around in road and drives back the way we came.
Mate asks where he's going:

"Im taking you to m the projects and your all going to get killed" he says, then gets on his phone.

My mate who's sat behind him grabs him around the neck and chokes him until he stops and we all get out and try to run off, but realise we are all drunkenly going in different directions, and only one person knows where we are going.

Driver follows us yelling threats, but I guess he didnt have a gun, which was maybe lucky.

 

[Full Steam]

what I never understand is when there is a wildfire /fire in Australia and it's all black how little green things start to appear ?????and why is there a tree in Australia that only releases its seed if there is a fire ?that's wrong .

Australia is 90% eucalyptus trees. They burn by design.

They drop oilly leaves that catch fire easily, and burn very fast, but don't naturally burn the whole tree as they burn so fast.

That allows the eucalyptus to be dominant here.

Things go wrong through as people don't want the forest near their house to burn, so they have fire roads and roads that stop fires spreading, but that means the fuel builds up and then fires can get really bad.

They do controlled burns around here to get rid of the fuel.

I live on a small mountain with bush on all sides and only one road down, so the though of bush fires is a bit scary.

 

[wight]

Once got lost with eighteen, eight to ten year old boys in a forest I wasn't familiar with. One of the boys initially became frightened during the walk and began to run into the woods, off the paths, he may have been autistic and decided to bolt all of a sudden.

I called to my teen counselor in training, to keep the others boys with her, and stay where they were. Instead she became afraid and everyone ran after me as I was running after the frightened boy. He ran for about two miles into the densest part of the woods. I finally caught up with him and tackled him to the ground. Eventually he calmed down. He had run in so many different directions I was completely lost. I couldn't find any paths, except animal paths.

My teen counselor was terrified and absolutely no help, she kept referring to a movie called 'sleep-away camp' and all the horrible things that could happen in the woods. She was frightening some of the boys, many of whom were city kids and had never spent time in the woods. I took her aside, and helped her to calm down, and told her I needed her help. And that she was a counselor, and had to be a good example. I could see her becoming less frightened as I told her what her job was. She straightened her shoulders, and took a big breath. I began to organize the boys, as it was almost dusk. They were to sit in groups on the ground, while I climbed a tree, to find out where the sun was setting. I had no compass, and it was getting dark.

These were dense woods, conifer and maple and beech. Fifty to one hundred year old softwood and hardwood. Very little undergrowth, lots of rock and on the canadian shield. Very little soil, mostly pine needle, leaves, deadwood. I looked around to find a tree that I could climb with low enough branches, that wouldn't topple, a lot of these trees have very little purchase on the shield and shallow root systems. So they're dangerous, a strong wind can make they fall over. I kept repeating to myself, 'sun rises in the east and sets in the west'. I climbed a skinny maple with reachable branches. The sun was almost gone, but I could see a glimmer of it. I shinnied down the tree, and drew the direction of the western setting sun on the ground, and it's opposite direction east.

I knew the camp was northeast but not exactly where I was. I decided we would walk west, and follow the light. I made the boys walk two by two behind me, with the counselor bringing up the back, and any stragglers. And so we set off, walking toward the setting sun. The boys didn't seem scared, they seemed kind of excited as I looked back at them now and then. No one complained. None of them fidgeted, or talked, they kept up as we made our way over rock, around trees, around a swamp so green it glowed incandescently. We walked for about three hours, and then rested. I was lucky, there was a bright full moon that night. I kept them walking west, after that. My instincts came back, even thought I was afraid that we might have to spend in the night in the woods. I thought about constructing shelters and pine bough beds as I walked, if necessary.

The forest became low bush, and I found a rutted lumber road. Then I found telephone poles, and we followed telephone poles, and there was a house and a barn and parked in front, a large white van. That's what made me happy and no longer afraid, seeing that van, big enough to hold all of us. I knocked on the door, and told the couple who answered that we were lost, and asked if they knew where the camp was? I could see them looking at all the boys sitting on the lawn exhausted. At that point we had walked about six hours. They drove us all back to the camp, which had emergency plan in place, in case anyone ever became lost in the woods. The entire camp came out to greet us, and the police and a K9 unit, and a group of cadets ready to begin at first light in the search for all of us. I think that was probably the most frightened I've ever been, the boys were dressed in shorts and t-shirts and getting cold. On my own I would have simply built a shelter and waited for morning. But I was responsible for those boys and their survival and safety. I'm proud I got them out uninjured even though they were exhausted.

You did good, Mia. Kept your head and wits about you in a very tough situation. You did good.

 

[Streetwise]

Australia is 90% eucalyptus trees. They burn by design.

They drop oilly leaves that catch fire easily, and burn very fast, but don't naturally burn the whole tree as they burn so fast.

That allows the eucalyptus to be dominant here.

Things go wrong through as people don't want the forest near their house to burn, so they have fire roads and roads that stop fires spreading, but that means the fuel builds up and then fires can get really bad.

They do controlled burns around here to get rid of the fuel.

I live on a small mountain with bush on all sides and only one road down, so the though of bush fires is a bit scary.

I was amazed how quickly the fire engine got to the allotment! fire is so fast it seemed to lap the fence after a few minutes ,I found it strange that the Beagle next door wanted to go near to it and bark,please ask everybody you can to pray they don't set the park on fire this year! over the last decade they have set the park on fire about three or four times .
and a dog wastebin !I managed to get my fire extinguisher and put it out !now I know why they say don't breathe it in my lungs hurt for a couple of weeks .
that's what frightens me about the light nights! when they walk up the back lane !the allotment is locked so the Fire Brigade can't get me in !the people that have the allotment never seem to think to give somebody a key to the gate .

 

[pax]

Hmmm. We've got an alert for up to 200mm rain in the next 24 hours. Just checked and cleared the drains as far as possible. I'm hoping the roof and guttering is OK. This could get a bit interesting. We're on a bit of a hill so hopefully we'll be OK.

 

[Chance]

Hmmm. We've got an alert for up to 200mm rain in the next 24 hours. Just checked and cleared the drains as far as possible. I'm hoping the roof and guttering is OK. This could get a bit interesting. We're on a bit of a hill so hopefully we'll be OK.

Wow that's nearly 8" in U.S... I wish you safety and you are welcome to send all that rain our way... It's so dry here, I think the ground would just soak it all up as it fell.

Seriously... Staying alert is what keeps you safe, and you are already ahead of most the mindless beings who are ignoring the situation, and mindlessly watching netflix... : )