Reddit reviews The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life

Nothing to do with being "man" or not. Please don't beat yourself up over this.

Some people are good at handling crises, some are not. It also depends on what the crisis is. Perhaps you would be able to roll in and get shit done better than any of those other men would have in a different situation. It may have just been the physical trauma that you didn't respond well to in this case or the shock of witnessing them get hit.

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't know how they would react until the moment when they're faced with something. Luckily, I've never seen anything quite like you described (knock on wood!), so I have no clue what I would do. However, I've been very good in other emergency situations. I'm able to effectively stay calm, administer first aid and reassurance, and call for help. My dad on the other hand turns into a complete disaster at even the smallest of crises. He either immobilizes or gets panicked and stresses everyone out more.

So I think it's just differences in individuals. I wouldn't put pressure on yourself to look at this in relation to your masculinity.

I think the only way to get better at those situations is to learn more about them. So you can do things like read up on disaster training, watch a Youtube video on how to react to a car crash, or perhaps attend a CPR course. And then calmly visualize yourself in those situations and play out how you would ideally handle them. Again, no way of knowing until you're in it, but feeling prepared might help you react differently in the future.

Also, even if you do nothing else, call 911. Everyone thinks that someone else is calling, and sometimes no one does-- so even if you can't physically help the victim, be the guy that always calls. Make yourself available afterwards to describe exactly what you witnessed to the police. This could help the victims immensely in medical treatment or lawsuits.

EDIT: This isn't directly related, but I found this book to be helpful in quelling anxiety I've had about survival in crises. Gives you tips from a researched-backed standpoint about how to react in situations like a plane crash or shooting. I can't remember if it addresses what to do when someone else is the victim, but perhaps you could find an aid book with similar psychology behind it.

This exact scenario is excellently explained in this book! https://www.amazon.com/Survivors-Club-Secrets-Science-Could-ebook/dp/B001QDLIWY