Should we stay or should we go? (part 1)

This was the big question we started discussing the very next morning. Airspace was closed, so the only way to go would be by car to Oman. In Oman we could then possibly leave by plane to travel somewhere else.
Still, there are things to consider like: When you are on the road for five to six hours, there is no shelter in place. If there are drones, missiles, and debris of those flying and falling, especially considering the intensity of the attacks on the first few days, you feel more exposed being on the road.
And also: Would Oman really be safer? At the moment it was safer, and would it stay like that? To prepare for a possible trip to Oman (also as a stopover), we applied for visa, arranged car insurance etc. on Sunday and Monday. And, of course, we packed our bags. Interestingly, my husband and I packed differently for the trip. While I prepared myself and the kids for around five days in warm and five days in cold weather, my husband packed for ten days in warm weather. Similar was the time frame though. 

Fight-flight-or-freeze?

The term fight-flight-or-freeze describes possible neurobiological responses to stressful situations (also known as acute stress response). Every response comes with its own physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral signs. When facing a threat (e.g. seeing a dangerous animal), we can respond by either confronting the threat – fight – , running away – flight – , or feeling “stuck” and unable to move – freeze. It seemed like we bounced between the options, or at least between flight and freeze. Every emergency alert, every loud bang, or every military aircraft can switch you to flight: from “I will leave now” to “I will leave as soon as the situation is safe enough to go”. At the same time, there is freeze: “I cannot leave, it is unsafe to be outside” or “Maybe I should stay because it is safer to be here?”. And then every safety alert, every phase of calm, every glimpse of normal also gives you hope: “Maybe it will be over now?”.

Situations like these are not always clear, and there is no one correct way of doing things. There is not always a black and white, correct or incorrect. There is also nothing to prove in situations like this, at least that is one of my insights. There is, however, a decision to be made: stay or go.