I had 2 illegal gwats do a home invasion on me with a shotgun. Long story made short, I kicked the fuck out of both of them with a hammer. They got no money, beat the fuck up, left their shotgun behind, cops called, K9 dogs called in to find them, tore them up, straight to jail.

I learned something about myself that night. I don't panic. I didn't shit my pants. The adrenaline kicked in, and I fought like a wolverine.

I have been in a number of tricky outdoor situations (bad slips down mountains, bad ATV accidents, large animal encounters) and have always stayed naturally calm and instantly reacted to get out of the situation and/or help the people I was with. However I feel that I truly realized I am not a person who freezes in bad situations when I found my ex-fiance hanging...took him down immediately started doing CPR and called 911 while doing it. It wasn't til after the emts took over did I realize that I don't think most women could have lifted a grown man dead weight out of a noose, let alone not just freeze and freak out. Worst day of my life but I do feel confident I will act in any situation that I need to.

I stared down a pit bull cross that tried to attack me. I stood my ground, screamed and yelled at the top of my lungs and landed a boot to it's jaw as it came for me. It turned and ran back to the owner who was about 1/4 mile away.

I was working a club and the crowd refused to leave after closing due to fights. About 100 ppl mingling and gravitating towards wherever the action was in the parking lot. I was 20 feet from an ex bouncer from this club, who was pulling an AR from the back of his trunk, as he was involved in some of these altercations, and was drunk and screaming he was going to 'clear the lot'. As soon as he lifted the rifle from the trunk, shots rang out from very close behind me. I hit the ground and started scrambling backwards, away from my ex coworker with the rifle. It turned out to be the police that were doing the shooting.... Not sure if I was running, fighting, or what, but I definitely wasn't freezing.

Ex coworker ended up shot 9 times, and lived. He sued the city and won 3 mil, as police never announced their presence.

Not a man but I didnt loose my cool when a man pulled a knife on me and tried to force me into my camper. I told him I needed to get the keys from my friend next door because the door was locked, he tried the knob and it didnt open so he let me go next door. I casually walked away and when I knocked on friends door and it opened I walked in asking loudly for my keys. Slammed the door and told them what was happening. Her husband went out and the guy was squatting behind a burning barrel with the knife. He then jumped the fence and left.

While camping at night I walked around the car and heard the distinct sound of a growl ready to attack. I immediately fleeced up to attack and punch the shit out of and rip the eyes out of whatever it was. I figured it was a mountain lion or small bear.

After about ten seconds of tense ready to attack, I found it was actually my mother dragged something across the bottom of her tent.

I was younger and accompanying a group of people cutting wood in the forest.

A large pine tree was cut and fell towards me.

All my life previous to that point I thought that if a tree ever fell towards me I would be intelligent enough to calmly and rationally step to the side and let the tree fall.

However, when the situation finally happened and I found a tree falling directly towards me instead of stepping aside I turned 180 degrees from the tree and instead tried to outrun it.

It wasn’t a rational decision. The rational decision would have been to step aside and let the tree fall where I had previously been standing. But there was something about seeing a tree falling towards me that just told me to instantly turn around and run as far away from it as fast as my body could move even though running “away” from the tree was really running parallel to its fall.

In this situation I was VERY fortunate I was able to outrun the tree because it almost certainly would have seriously injured me if not killed me.

I was much younger then. Perhaps if the same thing were to happen to me now I would have the ability to overcome the initial panic and refocus on a superior choice. But back then… hot damn! There was just something primal that short tracked my brain and took total control of my body. Only the second time that has ever happened to me.