Outdoor Survival Pt. 1
- by Leon Harms
Mental Preparedness
There is a psychology to survival. A significant ingredient in surviving any emergency survival situation is the mental attitude of the individual(s) involved. Those who are mentally and physically prepared to survive when they face a survivor challenge are more likely to do so. Although having survival skills is important; having the will to survive is essential. Having an unfaltering certainty that you will make it through your ordeal no mater how bad the situation gets, is the most important common factor reported by survivors of life treating emergency situation. These convictions keep people motivated to overcome major obstacles to their survival. It takes much more than the knowledge and skills to live successfully through a survival situation.
Some people with little or no training have managed to survive life-threatening circumstances while others with training have not used their learned skills and died. These people died because they made poor choices, gave up, succumbed to stress or panicked. Faith in success, good judgment in combination with the right knowledge and skills base will give you an advantage in any risky situation.
You will face many different kinds of stress in an outdoor survival situation. Stress can inspire you to perform at your maximum efficiency. But stress can also cause you to panic and forget your training and the survival techniques you have learned. These stresses can produce thoughts and emotions that, if poorly understood, can transform a confident, well-trained outdoorsman into an indecisive, ineffective individual with questionable ability to survive. Thus, everyone must be aware of and be able to recognize those stresses commonly associated with survival. Additionally, it is imperative that individuals be aware of their reactions to the wide variety of stresses associated with survival.
STRESS
Before we can understand our psychological reactions in a survival setting, we must understand the nature of stress, and those internal reactions you will naturally experience when faced in a real-world survival situation. Stress is not a disease that you cure and eliminate. Instead, it is a condition we all experience. Stress can be described as our reaction to pressure. Because we usually do not consider unimportant events stressful, stress can also be an excellent indicator of the significance we attach to an event--in other words, it highlights what is important to us.
We need to have some stress in our lives, because it has many positive benefits. Stress provides us with challenges; it gives us chances to learn about our values and strengths. Stress can show our ability to handle pressure without breaking; it tests our adaptability and flexibility; it can stimulate us to do our best.
The goal is to have stress, but not an excess of it. Too much stress can take its toll on people and organizations. Too much stress leads to distress. Distress causes an uncomfortable tension that we try to escape and, preferably, avoid. Listed below are a few of the common signs of distress you may find in your fellow soldiers or yourself when faced with too much stress:
- Difficulty making decisions.
- Angry outbursts.
- Forgetfulness.
- Low energy level.
- Constant worrying.
- Propensity for mistakes.
- Thoughts about death or suicide.
- Trouble getting along with others.
- Withdrawing from others.
- Hiding from responsibilities.
- Carelessness.
As you can see, stress can be constructive or destructive. It can encourage or discourage, move us along or stop us dead in our tracks, and make life meaningful or seemingly meaningless. Stress can inspire you to operate successfully and perform at your maximum efficiency in a survival situation. It can also cause you to panic and forget all your training. Key to your survival is your ability to manage the inevitable stresses you will encounter. The survivor is the person who works with his stresses instead of letting his stresses work on him.
Conclusion:
Those who are mentally and physically prepared to survive when they face a survivor challenge are more likely to do so. If you want to be prepared for a survival situation, you must be proactive. Take a class that offers field training in the area of the country in which you will be doing wilderness activities. Build a survival kit and keep it with you on your next wilderness experience.
Pt. 2 Prioritizing Needs In A Survival Situation
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