Originally Posted By: Chisel
... and wits too. You need to be able to think fast and out of the box. I know that 'cause I have had some 'situations' where I sort of shot myself in the foot and made things worse than they were

Sometimes I panic a little in bad situations. In such cases I may need something in particular (like a knife or magnifying lens) , and forget that I have it somewhere.. It happened a few times. I hope it doesn't happen again when I am in a real survival situation.

Once in a WFR recert, they gave us a good quote for those kind of situations: "Don't just do something....stand there!" What they meant is that even in tight situations, it usually pays to take a second to get your wits about you.

I've also heard that in medical school they tell young newbe doctors to "First take your own pulse!" Again, what they mean is to first calm down, then deal with the situation.

There are a few situations that might require instant action. In first aid that might be blood squirting from and artery, or someone who has stopped breathing. Certainly there are a few other cases where one needs to react instantly, like a weapon jam during a firefight. However, in 90% of survival situations, you will be better off taking a coulple of seconds to calm down, assess the situation, and think clearly.
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