Survival Guide
The following information will provide many suggestions that can
help you and your companions survive in many adverse situations
whether simply lost, storm bound in snow, wind or rain, overdue
without adequate supplies, suffering exposure or any number of other
occasions where "to survive" necessarily becomes your
lone objective.
Survival is largely a matter of common sense - perhaps the most
important thing you can carry with you. With it, and a little help,
you can assure warmth, shelter, water, and food - the four most
important aspects to survival - in that order.
Survival Psychology
Don't panic. Survival is a frame of mind. As you start to recognize
the seriousness of your situation, concern for the unfamiliar and
unknown can weaken your ability to think and plan. The knowledge
that nature is neither for you nor against you is basic in setting
aside this initial fear. Keep in mind that while you can not control
your circumstances, you CAN control how you operate and live within
them.
Perhaps the most important requirement for survival is to accept
immediately the reality of the situation and act accordingly. Knowledge
of survival information will contribute to a feeling of confidence
which is important in handling fear and panic.
Factors Affecting Survival
Being aware of the following conditions or threats can aid you
in recognizing them in a survival situation and in turn will allow
you to determine the degree of threat, and to develop a plan to
either overcome, or at least, successfully deal with the problem.
Fear - Fear is normal, but it can affect your ability to
survive. You must recognize your fears and, using common sense,
channel the energy that fear generates into becoming more alert,
aware, and motivated.
Pain - Pain is nature's way of making you pay attention
to something wrong with you. But nature also has a way of buffering
pain if you are too busy to pay immediate attention to the injury.
The point is to remember a special effort must, and can be made,
to keep hopes up, remain positive, and keep working for survival.
Cold - Cold can be an especially insidious enemy because
it will reduce your ability to think and can tend to lower your
will to do anything. For these reasons maintaining or getting warm
is the first priority in survival situations.
Thirst - Even when thirst isn't extreme it can dull your
mind. For this reason it is important to start planning activities
to forage for water even though you can survive in most situations
for several days without. If water is available, don't deprive yourself
of it. As with pain and hunger, you can will yourself not to thirst
- but such deprivations can lead to confusion which can in turn
lead to dehydration.
Hunger - Hunger is fourth on the list of priorities because
in most situations you can survive several weeks without eating.
However, like thirst, the more immediate danger is the effect it
can have on the mind - lessening your ability for rational thought.
Both thirst and hunger increase your susceptibility to the effects
of cold, pain, and fear.
Fatigue - When you are tired you don't think clearly and
can become careless. Over exertion is the usual cause of fatigue,
but you should also recognize other factors which can contribute
to fatigue such as feelings of hopelessness, dissatisfaction, lack
of goal orientation, frustration, and boredom. Extreme fatigue can
destroy the desire to survive. One must deal with the fatigue (rest)
and the cause where one of the above factors may be involved.
Boredom and Loneliness - When nothing happens and rescue
isn't imminent, feelings of boredom and loneliness can creep up
on you. Your reaction can often be more of a problem to your survival
than any physical factors such as pain, cold, thirst, or hunger.
Boredom and loneliness can be overcome by: avoiding panic and staying
calm/patient; keeping busy - mentally and physically. Make decisions
and act on them. Plan solutions to your problems.
STAY PUT
Perhaps the number one rule of surviving in the wilderness is to
stay put. Unless you are absolutely certain of your directions and
have ample daylight hours, you will be far better off spending the
time preparing for an overnight or extended stay where you are.
And your chance of being found - faster - is much improved compared
to your being on the move. Incidentally, rule number 2 and 3 are
stay put and stay put!
Go on to Primary Survival Concerns - Warmth
- Shelter
- Water and
Food
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