Reactions to Effective Enemy Fire

On the command “Take cover”

Dash

Dash towards the nearest cover or the cover previously indicated by the section commander.

Down

Crawl Get down and crawl into the position. Keep the weapon behind cover.

Observe

Sights Observe, check that the sight is correctly set and fire at any visible enemy or target indicated by the section commander.

Fire!

Keep behind cover as much as possible and vary your position. During any lull in firing, refill magazines from behind cover.

On the command “Prepare to advance” or “Prepare to move”, make sure there is sufficient ammunition in the magazine on the rifle, pouches are fastened and that sights are at 300 metres. On the command “Advance”, or “Move”, break cover from a different place from that in which firing took place, and advance in the direction and in the formation indicated.

As a former soldier within the British Army, we spent much of our time when not deployed on operations, exercising these (and many other) manoeuvres in order they were a ‘drill’ and that we ALL knew exactly what to do if and when we encountered the enemy.

COVID-19 The hidden enemy

In many ways the world is currently being attacked by a hidden enemy, this time in the form of a contagious and deadly virus. And so it is perhaps apt, we all learn to adapt to the circumstances we now face, in order to fight through and overcome the immediate threat.

As the spread of the virus (and a greater understanding as to its threat) has spread, initially from Wuhan, China and across the world, the immediate reaction to this can be start as FEAR.

Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energised muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response. People and Media can corrupt our minds cause fear affects despite not being founded. After watching a horror movie, a person may become scares of simple objects because that persons fear has been affected by what they watched, causing them to find simple object fearful. … Your fear affects you and is easily perpetuated within the people around you.

The good news is, getting through fear is a skill that anyone can learn.

The problem is that most people cling to their fears, because they believe it’s a part of who they are. If you aren’t ready to face your fears instead stuck in a ‘victim’ mentality, there is little to be done, until you are willing to accept this does not have to be the case.

How to Start Overcoming Fear, Right Now

Before you can begin overcoming fear, you have to be aware that your fears are causing havoc in your life. It’s easy to get so attached to your thoughts and feelings that you think they are all that exist, which couldn’t be further from the truth. You are not your fears. You are the awareness that experiences it.
Get specific about exactly what you are afraid of. Pay attention to the pictures you have in your head about the situation. What is happening in them? What are you really scared of? Become an observer of your inner space.
While curiosity may have killed the cat, it certainly won’t do you any harm when investigating your fears. Get curious about what thoughts generate your fear. Where do you feel the fear? How do you react to it? What colour does it have? Be an observer of what is going on.
Staying PRESENT. What are you lacking right now? When you centre yourself in the now, you realise that everything is how it is. You naturally accept what is. Tapping into the now can be as simple as feeling your body and breath. My favourite book on the subject is The Power of NOW by Eckhart Tolle
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) also sometimes referred to as tapping. You use your fingertips to tap meridian points on your body while thinking of a fear you have and it can alleviate and sometimes get rid of the fear altogether.
With hypnosis, you can program the right thoughts into your mind and eliminate negative thoughts and beliefs. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it might for you. My brother uses it to evoke positive change in his clients. Remember, this isn’t necessarily about getting rid of your fears, but learning to relate to them in a different way.
Whenever you feel fear, switch it over to what you are grateful for instead. If you’re afraid of public speaking, be grateful for the opportunity to communicate with so many people, and that they are there to genuinely listen to what you have to say. If you are outgrowing your friends, be grateful for what’s to come.
Getting your fears down on paper is important, because trying to think them through doesn’t work. You get caught up in endless loops of negativity that only lead you further down the rabbit hole, and make your life unhappy.
It’s good to TALK. No-brainer advice, but how often do we hold the negative in because we are afraid of how others might react, or because of some other reason? Talking helps, but avoid drowning in self-pity, and choose the right person to talk to. If you have no one to talk to, try journaling or find a therapist.
If you can find a good therapist, therapy can be highly beneficial, even life-changing. Finding the right therapist for you can be hard. Listen to your gut and choose someone who resonates with you.
NLP is short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. I’ve studied this, and currently a Master NLP Practitioner. NLP has helped thousands in eliminating phobias, fears, and other emotional problems, so it has its place, but only if you are open and willing to embrace it.
Do you have a fear of success, or a fear of failure? A good coach can help you examine what you truly want from life, and where your fears come from. Whilst this work can be challenging and uncomfortable, it’s very helpful in getting clear about what you want and the things stopping you from achieving that.
Reading a good book on your specific fear can open new doors on how you can get rid of it. I like to read a lot of motivational and inspirational work on and around the topic I’m dealing with and notice what impact this has on me.
I’m an ACTION TAKER, and I know that fears are just fears. They are created by my imagination to make reality seem scarier than it is. When you take action and face your fears, they become weaker, because you realise that reality isn’t nearly as bad as your imagination. This allows you to find and follow your purpose.
Did you know that the food you eat can have a dramatic impact on how you feel? All the processed sugars, additives, sweeteners, and other chemicals in our foods have a surprisingly powerful effect in getting our body out of balance. Stick to a clean diet that suits you. Meaning, more fruits, vegetables and whole (real) foods. Just eat a bit more each day. See what happens. You may find yourself having more energy and courage.
Whenever fear strikes, flip it over. Instead of thinking of something bad that can happen, find the positive within. What’s a positive outcome to your fear? If you’re thinking about public speaking, imagine yourself being successful instead of failing horribly.
Learning to deal with fear is all about putting your negative thoughts into perspective. We tend to focus too much on the negative, so by looking at all the options, you often realise that you’re making a big deal of nothing. There are so many things that could happen that it’s impossible for your mind to predict the future.
Surrendering to what is is powerful, because as long as we try to change what is, we are in war with reality. Sure, our mind may tell us that we can’t surrender. We may be afraid, but what I’ve found is that when I surrender, I find peace. I’m not giving up on life. I’m simply stopping the incessant thinking and trying to control that which cannot be controlled. There’s a subtle difference. You can still change your life, but it comes from a different place.
Energy can get trapped in your body. When you do Yoga and breathe, that energy can be released. Sometimes you release parts of your fears, or you might even find that you’ve dropped a few fears without even noticing after a few months of Yoga.
Understand. When you realise that failure is not the end of the world, you become free. Failure is just a stepping stone to success. Our fears are based on presumption of things that are YET to happen. By accepting this, we can then use it as fuel to drive us on to prevent that from becoming a reality. “Face the fear, and do it anyway“

FSNP

There are 4 stages of human behaviour when it comes to change.

Form | Storm | Norm | Perform

We rarely like change, especially change that has been brought about by a series of actions we did not ask for or want. And so during our immediate FIGHT / FLIGHT response, we observe the change. We allow it to FORM.
From this, we immediately move to STORM. As we don’t like change, and didn’t either request or want this, we fight to ‘go back to the way it used to be’ we object, challenge, disobey in an attempt to almost turn back time to prior to the change.
Eventually we acknowledge this is simply not possible, and we settle, beginning to ‘accept’ the change as the new NORM.
Once we have accepted this, we return back to PERFORMING within the new environment.

Situational necessity

Just as during deployment into a theatre of operations, and knowing this FSNP model; it may be that we have to push people through this quickly in order NOT to drop performance. Situational necessity might deem there is no time to spare, regardless of the changes that have occurred to continue to perform. And at times such as there it IS possible to drive through rapid change effectively.

However, the moment the situational necessity alters and no longer requires this, human behaviour will naturally return, and go through the FSNP model prior to it being accepted that the new norm is now the norm!

PLEASE feel free to comment and share this within your own network. And if you have enjoyed this, your also likely to enjoy my book Battlefield2Boardroom and the other 9 Proven Military Strategies to overcome Mediocrity!

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