5 Mental survival techniques to stay calm

It’s difficult to imagine what real fear feels like unless you’ve been in a situation where you felt it yourself, but then there are also different types and levels of fear, all of which are your biggest enemy when stranded in the wild. It can be terrifying when the moment of realization hits that you’re in a dangerous situation, and this initial moment of panic has caused many people to make the wrong decisions and get themselves into even bigger trouble.

There will be many times during a survival situation where you feel afraid, but this fear needs to be controlled as it will be your worst enemy and your mental state will be one of the biggest factors when it comes to making it out alive. It’s impossible not to feel fear, so when it happens try these 5 mental survival techniques to help you stay calm in your time of need.

Stop and breath

When you first start to panic your heart rate will increase and your body temperature will go up slightly, often causing people to sweat and act irrationally. This is the time when your decision-making skills will be at their worst and anything you come up with will likely be out of fear instead of logic and rationality. A good example is someone who’s just realized that the sun is about to go down and they are miles away from where they need to be, which is one of the most common causes for the beginning of many survival stories.

In their panic, they may think that it would be the best idea to try and get back to safety as quickly as possible, and start to walk in the direction they think is the right way. This will see them stranded in the middle of nowhere in the dark, instead of sitting safely in a shelter and waiting for the sun to come up like they should have done. The easiest and quickest way to calm yourself down is simply to stop where you are, take a few deep breaths as slowly as you can, and repeat the process for as long as it takes for your heart to return to a normal rate and you can think clearly. There is a method that’s called the S.T.O.P. technique that may also be helpful in calming your nerves when panicking.

Visualize and practice

The vast majority of people in this world, including myself, spend a great deal of time worrying about things that probably won’t happen or putting themselves into other people’s situations that make them angry or feel a certain emotion. We all know what we are afraid of and most people just try and keep themselves out of a situation where it could become a reality and try not to think about it, but when it comes to survival, thinking about it can help you deal with it better if it happens. Take heights for example, a common thing to be afraid of, and a person who becomes crippled with fear if they find themselves leaning over a ledge.

(This is Mr tickles the Spider, and if this picture makes you nervous then take note of your body movements, did you move your hands or sit back slightly? because if so then this is a good example of how you can practice controlling your fears in a safe environment)

If this person started thinking about all the possible situations where this could happen and what they would do in each one, it could help them get used to the fear. Knowing that it is all in your head when you imagine things and there is no real danger can help people face their fears in a safe environment, and when someone does this enough times it makes the fear seem less scary, which reduces their chances of extreme panic if it happens for real.

Focus

The more thoughts we have racing around our minds, the more confused and panicked we become, and when this is combined with a scenario where your life is in danger it can put you at even greater risk. The focus technique is surprisingly helpful and is one of the fastest ways to help clear your mind. All you have to do is find something that isn’t related to your situation to focus on and give it all your attention.

An example of this would be to take a normal object or choose something from your surroundings, like a tree for example, and try to concentrate on nothing else. Imagine how it looks in different seasons or try to picture its root network or another of its features. This may sound silly but the point is that this method can help block out all the other thoughts from your mind and calm your thought process. It takes some practice but when you can block out everything other than what you are currently focusing on, then you can switch back off the object and start thinking about your situation again with a clear and unpanicked mind.

Control your body

When people panic their body temperature will normally increase and they may start to shake or sweat. One common thing that people do when they are worrying about something is excessive hand movement and finding it difficult to stay still. When we are afraid of something these effects on our bodies can make things worse, so it’s important to find a way to deal with them.

One of the simplest ways is to lock your fingers together and focus on keeping your hands still while taking slow and deep breaths. If you find yourself rocking back and forth or shaking your hands a lot then it’s time to make the effort to control it.

Create a calming tactic

Some people like to turn to religion or particular passages to help give them comfort, whereas others might recite a phrase from a song or think of something funny. Everyone is different when it comes to fear and it’s important to know what works for you. To find out what your own personal method of a calming tactic is, try putting yourself in risk-free but scary situations and experiment, such as someone afraid of heights looking over the edge of a balcony.

In this safe but still scary environment, someone could try thinking of various things that may calm them down, whether it’s a certain way of holding your hands or thinking of something, whatever it is it’s important to find the thing that works for you.