John McCann - Stay alive -- the survivor mentality eshort learn how to control fear in situations by using the survival mindset

Both the unknown and darkness can trigger fear when stranded in the wilderness.

It has become a survival axiom that your most important survival tool is your mind. I agree of course, but would add that your mind must be working properly in order to be an asset. Unfortunately, the onset of a survival situation throws the mind out of balance. The mind controls the body and the body reacts. The psychological situation often triggers a physiological reaction. It is like the feeling you might get in your stomach if you heard a pilot announce brace for impact. Not a good feeling, but one you cant control.

It is important to understand what causes these feelings so that they can be dealt with in a reasonable manner. Panic is not an asset for those who want to survive. In order to prevent panic, we must understand fear.

Man has many fears, and many of them, including some you might not even be aware you have, rear their ugly head at the onset of a survival situation. An understanding of the fears associated with a survival situation might allow you to control them when you are lost, stranded or otherwise thrust into unexpected situation.

Embarrassment

This may be hard to believe, but research shows that this is often the first fear that occurs. This is especially true for those who think of themselves as experienced outdoors people, such as hunters, through-hikers, adventurers, campers, etc. In their mind, they have a reputation to maintain and are fearful of being ridiculed for allowing themselves to get into the situation they are in. The embarrassment of their situation becomes an actual fear.

The unknown

Being afraid of the unknown is normal. The mind starts asking questions. What will happen to me? Will I be found? What will happen if I cant get out of here? Will I ever see my family again? What is that noise? Where am I? These are all questions people ask themselves, and dwelling on them intensifies the fear.

Death

A survival situation often causes people to consider the possibility of death, and it can be a strong feeling. This type of thinking can paralyze a person and prevent them from acting in a rational manner, which, of course, thwarts efforts to deal with the matter at hand.

Discomfort

This a normal fear for many people, especially those who are not very experienced in the wilderness. They are afraid of being on the ground or in the dirt, drinking dirty water, being bitten by bugs, getting muddy, etc. Although only minor discomforts for some, they become extreme fears for others. I once had a student at our survival school who was asked to crawl into a survival shelter that had been built by the class. When he refused, I asked if he was claustrophobic, and he said No... Im gross-a-phobic. Finally, after the class kidded him about it, he got in and as soon as the photo was taken he came out like a hornet. We assumed the fear of embarrassment overpowered his fear of discomfort.

Being alone

Even many outdoorsman have never really been alone. Some never even realize it until it happens. All of a sudden they are alone, really alone, for the first time in their life and it is frightening. Again, the fear can capture the imagination and trigger other fears. In the movie Cast Away, Tom Hanks, stranded on an island, became so desperate for a friend that he drew a face on a volleyball and named it Wilson. After four years, while trying to sail back to civilization on a raft he constructed, Wilson falls from the raft and Chuck (the character played by Hanks) cant retrieve him. Who can forget the sadness that overcame Chuck, as he screamed WILSON!!! To Chuck, the friend was real and kept him from being alone.

Darkness

Many people have a fear of the dark even when they are not in a survival situation. But couple this fear with being in an unknown location, where sometimes turning on a light is not an option, and the fear can become overpowering.

Many people have a fear of wild animals.

Animals

The fear of wild animals is real for a lot of people. People who are not used to being in the outdoors often have never seen nor heard the sounds of a wild animal. The first time can be frightening.

I once had a student, an executive from New York City, at a basic course who had never heard coyotes at night. The second night of the course the coyotes were not only very active in regard to their howling, but several seemed to get into an altercation, as it became quite loud and ugly sounding. The next morning I asked the student how he had slept. He said he had been awakened by the sounds of the coyotes, and it sounded like they were so close that he thought they might attack, so he got out of his tent and hid behind it. This seemed irrational to me, and when I asked what that would solve - putting himself outside of the tent instead of inside - he said, I dont know, I was just so scared I didnt know what to do. It just shows what fear can do to an otherwise rational, intelligent person.

Ignorance

The fear of ignorance happens most often in people who have little training in survival. When the situation occurs, they know they are in trouble and fear that they wont know how to help themselves. Even though many do survive, the onset of the fear can keep them from doing something... anything, to help their situation. Many people will realize that they have more ability than they think, and get to the business of surviving.

Punishment

This fear more often occurs with children and the elderly. They are afraid that they will be punished for whatever led to their situation: being lost, wandering away, not being where they were supposed to be, etc. This is why children will often hide when they are lost. The fear of punishment for their actions, although irrational from a larger perspective, is real in their mind.

As we established earlier, in order to prevent panic, we must understand fear. We now know some of the fears that affect people in a survival situation. But that is not enough. Mark Twain once said, Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. We must learn how we can control those fears, so panic does not have a chance to control us.

When fear strikes, we know we must act immediately. Dont run from it, but recognize and admit it. To prevent the physical symptoms of fear from setting in, there are several things you can do:

People tend to hold their breath when frightened, so breathe, breathe, breathe! Breathing prevents hyperventilation. Take slow, deep breaths to establish a regular breathing pattern, which will help you relax.

People also have a tendency to freeze when frightened. The breathing helps you to relax, which helps prevent you from becoming tense. Tense muscles can add to anxiety by reinforcing fear.

Move! When people freeze in the middle of a threatening situation it results in inaction. To break this natural instinct, move. Doing something will lessen the dread of the fear and help you restore confidence in yourself. Staying busy also keeps your mind busy and away from the negative aspects of the situation that reinforce the fear.