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The Psychology of Survival – Prepping It Is Not Enough

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The Psychology of Survival - Prepping It Is Not Enough

We are all getting ready because we wish to offer ourselves the best possible chance when it involves surviving any kind of disaster, but that doesn’t mean that in the weeks following a SHTF scenario there won’t be folks around making us ask ourselves “How did they survive this long!?”

Although the luck of the draw will play an enormous factor when it involves who lives and who dies, we’d like to know the psychology of survival, because generally prepping just isn’t enough. we will create our own luck and as Louis Pasteur once aforesaid, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

Let’s imagine that regarding four weeks ago there was an EMP that took out half the country, everything is in complete chaos, robbery and disorder are happening for a while, and therefore the stores have been empty going on a month. The only reason you’re still around is because you haven’t had to go away your home for any reason other than a couple life of death things, and people were well planned out.

Take homeless folks as an example, these folks are is survival mode each day. Not everybody who is homeless is homeless for a similar reasons though.

Some have drug or alcohol problems that forced then into this life-style, some have mental problems and can’t operate in normal society, and a few have created dangerous decisions that result in them with nothing accept the cloths on their backs. Even worse are the military veterans that have mental or physical problems as a results of their service to the current country and have been left high and dry.

These folks won’t have the survival skills we are all attempting to find out, but they do have the power to adapt to their environment. They understand where the food is, they understand the simplest ways to speak folks into giving them cash, and they understand improvised shelter using only what they can realize.

The reason for this is their mental attitude and personality. Some folks are able to accept the situation and create the most out of it, while others will be constantly looking for somebody to blame. Some folks have personal appeal and a personality that makes everybody need to be around them or facilitate them.

I’m not getting to go into detail regarding the power of positive thinking, but positive thinking results in positive action, while negative thinking ends up in no action at all. generally the simplest alternative is just to make one.

A good indication regarding how somebody can react in a survival situation is how they react now. If they’re perpetually searching for help and making excuses now, an equivalent will hold true in a disaster situation. If they’re the kind of person who takes control and accepts true, they may be the folks you would like to align yourself with.

Survival means more than how well stocked you’re or how long you’ve got been prepping, survival means that understanding the situation and knowing what the most effective course of action will be. It also means thinking of your provides as tools which will facilitate your situation, not tools very important for the situation.

Whether you’re in the wilderness or in an urban setting a key ingredient in any survival scenario is mental attitude and the psychology of survival. And while having survival skills is very important, having the desire to survive is crucial.

It might be alittle powerful keeping a positive attitude when everything around you appears to be falling apart, but it’s crucial to do and keep a level head and avoid getting stressed out.

When Panic Sets In

How we react in a crisis and how we handle stress will play an enormous role in how the events unfold. You’ve got probably heard that in a wilderness survival scenario the worst factor you’ll do is panic. Panic is enemy number one! How you handle the consequences of the situation, and your ability to defeat panic before it sets in can determine your rate of success or failure in any emergency situation.

If you ever end up in a scenario like this there an easy acronym i use, the descriptor S.T.O.P. It stands for Sit, Think, Observe and plan.

Sit – Before you do something just sit down and collect your thoughts and consider what you’ve got that will help you.

Think – Consider what supplies you’ve got. Think about how you’ve got prepared for a scenario like this in advance. Most significantly, keep a positive attitude and don’t let your mind go overboard on you.

Observe – Inspect your surroundings and choose what poses a threat, and what resources could be available to you. Observing also will give you a additional confident feeling regarding the situation.

Plan – Currently that you have thought rationally regarding the situation it’s time to take action. You’ve got conquered the major danger of not permitting panic to cast your fate. Stay positive and remind yourself that you have the will to conquer anything else that confronts you.

You’re Stressing Me Out

Stress is something that sneaks up and bites us within the butt before we even notice it. All folks handle stress otherwise, some folks hold it inside and a few people let it affect their decision making process a lot of outright.

Some general signs of stress are…

  • Difficulty making decisions.
  • Angry outbursts.
  • Low energy level.
  • Constant worrying.
  • Propensity for mistakes.
  • Thoughts about death or suicide.
  • Trouble getting along with others.
  • Withdrawing from others.
  • Hiding from responsibilities.

I do need to go over stressors and what they’re. Any SHTF event will possibly result in stress, and as you most likely understand one event can result in another, events don’t always come one at a time. These events aren’t stress, but they result in what are called stressors. Once the body recognizes the presence of a stressor, it then begins to act to protect itself.

A stressor may be a single event, or multiple events that may affect someones decision making process, or cause a full out breakdown. Its not possible to inform what may be a stresser for somebody till after the fact, but the additional you know regarding how folks react to stressful situations the faster you can address the problems before they become larger problems.

Fight or Flight

In response to a stressor, our body goes into fight or flight mode. Our bodies revert back to our primal instincts and either prepares to fight, or prepares to get the heck out of car. This may turn out an adrenalin rush as the body releases stored fuels to produce a fast energy boost, and your respiration rate will increase to produce a lot of oxygen to the blood as it prepares for action.

As a stressor causes you to go into fight or flight mode your senses can become more acute. Your hearing becomes more sensitive and your vision and smell become sharper so you’re more alert to your surroundings and potential dangers. This adrenalin rush doesn’t last forever though, the human body cannot handle these levels for extended periods of time.

One final thing regarding stressors and we’ll move on to the survival mindset. Stressors don’t return and go one by one, but they’ll build up one by one. Stressors can add up, and depending on however the person reacts, their temperament can modification instantly, or it will be a the straw that broke the camel’s back kind scenario.

The Survival Mindset

Having the desire to survive is a lot of necessary than any tool you have. Having the ability to manage your fears and understand however you or anyone else may react in a crisis could go an extended manner to keep you out of unneeded dangerous situations.

Even though most situations will be better managed by thinking them through, you continue to need the provides to make the task easier. But having the information to make the right choices, or at least the most educated selections possible offers you a psychological advantage that most folks won’t have.

Remember, having the survival mental attitude and understanding the psychology of survival won’t guarantee that everything will go as planned, however flipping out and giving up will guarantee you won’t last long. We all have the desire to survive right now, however how can you react when push comes to shove?

John Turner
John Turnerhttp://www.patriotdirect.org/
Dedicated to upgrowth, developement and prepared for the "worst" to come... Simple guy, simple skills, simple attitude. Just an ordinary guy who tries to survive!

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