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Monday, November 30, 2009

How people respond to an emergency situation.

Emergency situations can cause extreme amounts of physical and emotional stress. Understanding how to deal with this stress will help to reduce it’s impact and can greatly increase your chance of survival.

Your response to a Emergency situation:

The worst thing that you can do is lose your will to survive. Statistics show that 95% of people who die with psychological trauma do so within the first three days. How you respond in a emergency situation will determine your chances of survival.

Common Reactions to a disaster:

  • ANXIETY: Anxiety & Panic are both a direct result of fearing what may happen. Once panic sets in you must quickly realize that you are the one feeding the fire. Take a deep breath, tell yourself that your thoughts can’t hurt you, and start to take make a plan of action.
  • DEPRESSION: Depression in a survival situation can be a killer. Once depression sets in it becomes almost impossible to make rational decisions. You must do everything in your power to keep your mind focused on positive thoughts. Take time to congratulate yourself for even small victories.
  • HYPERACTIVITY: In the face of danger some people may become easily agitated. When this happens the victim can become easily distracted and can take actions that will be detrimental to their survival.
  • ANGER – Anger is a common response to an emergency situation. In some cases anger can be your friend. It can give you extra strength and alertness when confronting an immediate danger. In other cases it can cloud your judgment and force you to make irrational decisions.
  • GUILT – It is very common for survivors to feel a sense of guilt for surviving. Often times a survivor will dwell on what they could have done for others or blame themselves for the situation.

COPING STRATEGIES:

  • TRAIN – People who are prepared and know what to expect during an emergency situation are far less likely to fall into the traps listed above. Make sure you train with your equipment so you will feel completely comfortable during a real situation.
  • Read, Read and then Read some more. Knowledge is the key to survival, knowing what to do when the stuff hits the fan will help you keep a level head in any situation.
  • Practice Relaxation Techniques – Learning how to relax in a stressful situation is crucial to your survival. Deep breathing techniques, Yoga, and other relaxation techniques are valuable skills that you should learn.

Things to add to your survival bag or kit:

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