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You settle into the aisle seat. Your wife has the middle, knowing you feel trapped and anxious in the middle. She looks through her purse. There’s a buzz in your stomach that you associate with both worry and excitement. You let out a tense sigh. You consider listening to music or reading.

A man leaps up from his seat directly in front of you and yells a string of curse words followed by “Stop! I’m on the wrong flight!”

Cold dread grips your body. Your muscles tense, especially the neck and shoulders. You hold your breath. Your eyes dart quickly in the immediate area of the disruptive man. You automatically assess his threat level.

Hot anger rushes to your aid. Your heart beats hard and fast. You hiss, but keep your volume low to only be heard by your wife, saying: “What the?!”

Your throat clenches. You are frozen between fear and anger. It’s like you push one foot heavy on the gas and one foot heavy on the brake (Levine, 2010).

Another passenger doesn’t restrain herself. “Settle down! My God!”

The disruptive man leaps into the aisle, forces open the overhead compartment, and shoves bags aside. A laptop bag drops from the compartment and thumps loudly in the aisle.

“Watch it!” you hear yourself say, but only loud enough for the man to hear.

He swings his duffel bag over the shoulder, nearly hitting another passenger in the head.

Several murmurs of disgust and surprise. You feel a confused mixed of anxiety, anger, and euphoria.

Once he’s........

© Psychology Today