Why We Freeze in Emergencies, And What to Do Instead

Snack-Size First Aid: CPR, choking, and Anaphylaxis explained in plain English

⚠️ Snack-Size Edition:

This isn’t a medical manual. It’s a short, human guide based on certified first aid training. I’m a professional in mental health, not physical medicine.

The full version (with videos, humor, and all the details) is 100% free and will always stay free, because a life is worth more than a subscription.

👉 Full version here:

Why do we freeze?

Picture it: Someone hits the floor in front of you. Instead of turning into a hero from Casualty, your brain decides to buffer like a dodgy YouTube video.

The thoughts pile in fast:

“Wait… am I even allowed to touch them?”
“What if I make it worse?”
“What if I end up on TikTok doing CPR to the wrong beat?”

That’s the freeze response, your brain slams the brakes, convinced thinking is safer than acting.

Spoiler: It isn’t.

The truth? Hesitation kills more often than mistakes. Broken ribs heal. Vomit washes out and embarrassment fades quicker than you think.

It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be something.

So what actually helps?

First aid isn’t about looking like a polished TV doctor. It’s about buying time until the professionals arrive. You don’t need to remember every acronym you half-scribbled in high school health class. You just need a handful of steps your brain can grab onto when it’s screaming in panic.

Here’s how that looks in real life:

🫀 CPR (Adults & Children)
If someone’s not breathing, your job is to be the heart. Push hard and fast in the middle of the chest, thirty compression’s, then two breaths, repeat.
Not trained? Forget the breaths. Hands-only is absolutely fine.

💡 Rhythm trick: hum the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive. Yes, you’ll look ridiculous. Yes, someone might film you. But better ridiculous on TikTok than tragic on Facebook.

👶 Choking (Babies)
Baby goes quiet mid-feed? Don’t waste a second. Lay them face-down along your arm, head lower than the chest. Five firm back blows. Flip them, two fingers in the chest, five chest thrusts. Alternate until it clears.

🧑 Choking (Adults)
Adults usually give you the universal sign, clutching their throat, wide-eyed panic. Start with back blows. Still stuck? Wrap your arms around their waist and give abdominal thrusts (aka Heimlich). Keep alternating five and five until that chip, grape, or rogue bit of steak makes its exit.

⚠️ Golden rule:

Never do abdominal thrusts on babies. Their ribs are marshmallows. Their organs can’t take it.

⚡ Anaphylaxis

This is the “minutes matter” allergy reaction. Think swollen lips, blotchy face, gasping, clutching throat, this is not hay fever, it’s full body meltdown.

• Call 999 immediately. Use the word “anaphylaxis” so the call handler knows it’s life-threatening.

• Auto-injector (EpiPen, Jext, Auvi-Q ): Straight into the outer thigh, through clothes is fine. Hold it there for about 10 seconds.

• No change after 5 minutes? Second pen if they’ve got one.

💡 Treat it fast.

Adrenaline given “just in case” won’t harm someone with a milder allergy, but not giving it to someone in anaphylaxis could cost their life.

⚡ AEDs (Defibrillators)

Those wall boxes with the heart and lightning bolt logo?

That’s your friend.

• Open it, press the green button, and listen. It literally talks you through every step like a bossy sat-nav.

• Pads go on bare skin: one on the top right chest, one on the lower left side.

• The machine analyses first. If it says shock advised, shout “CLEAR!”, make sure nobody’s touching the patient, then hit the flashing button.

💡 You can’t accidentally fry someone, AEDs only shock if it’s needed.

Honestly, you’re more likely to zap yourself on a dodgy toaster.

🚨 Why This Matters

We drill fire alarms at school, but no one teaches us what to do if your mate keels over at Nando’s or your baby goes quiet mid-feed.

That gap? It costs lives.

The funny part? The basics are simple enough that you can learn them in one snack-sized article. No acronyms to memorize, no medical degree required. Just a few steps that buy precious time until the pros arrive.

Worst case? You look sweaty and awkward for five minutes.
Best case? Someone’s still breathing because of you.
Easy math.

📝 Quick Reference

❤️ CPR: 30 compression’s, 2 breaths. Hands-only works if you’re untrained.

👶 Baby choking: 5 back blows, 5 chest thrusts, repeat.

🧑 Adult choking: 5 back blows, 5 abdominal thrusts, repeat.

⚡ Anaphylaxis: Call 999, auto-injector in thigh, second dose if needed.

💓 AED: Follow the bossy voice. It only shocks if it’s needed.

If you can remember even one silly line of this when panic hits, you’ve got a better chance of stepping in and saving a life. 💖

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✅ Final Word

First aid isn’t about looking like some slick TV doctor with perfect hair. It’s about trying. Messy, sweaty, clumsy, human trying. That’s what saves lives.

And because this is too important to shove behind a paywall, the full guide, with all the humor, stories, and videos, is free, and will stay free forever.

👉 Read the full lasagna version here:

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