5 things NOT to do in a survival situation

It goes without saying that the more survival and bushcraft knowledge you have, the better off your chances of survival will be. The problem is that not everyone has the time or the opportunities to learn physical skills like how to become a master at crafting with a knife or making fire with nothing more than a piece of flint, but there is no excuse for not learning how to be safe before you head out into the wild. Knowing what not to do is just as important as learning practical skills, and could easily save your life in the right situation.

1) Don’t Panic

It seems obvious but panicking in a survival situation could lead to a course of action that could easily speed up your demise. Panicking in any situation is obviously bad, but if your life depends on it, you need to learn how to control yourself in order to make the best decision possible. Instead of going through the trouble of learning a number of mental control techniques, I would simply advise you to learn how to S.T.O.P

Stop – Unless your life is in immediate danger, then physically stop where you are, take a minute or two for some deep breaths, and try to calm your nerves. When we panic it’s easy to make decisions based on fear, and not on the most practical and safe course of action available.

Think – Try to assess your situation and come up with the best plan possible by asking yourself as many questions about your situation as you can. Let’s say for example you’re stuck in the woods and it’s getting dark, so instead of trying to run to where you think the exit is, take a moment and ask yourself things like “Which direction is the sun currently and which way did it travel across the sky? when was the last time you remember seeing a road, house, or something else you could use to get your bearings? Do you remember hearing running water at any point or another landmark you could reference to your position to get better bearings or your location? Are there any known dangerous places nearby you should avoid like a swamp or river?” The questions should apply to your situation, but the more you can answer, the better your plan of action will be.

Observe – Even if you know your location, is it worth the risk of moving at the present time? It’s very easy to get lost in woodland during the night, even if you know the area well things can still look very different in the dark. Do you have enough time to make it to a certain point before it gets dark? Or maybe there’s some nasty-looking weather in the distance that’ll’ hit you in an hour or so. The most obvious thing to do during the observation stage would be to locate a high point to find out where you are, but things like this are never around when you need one, and climbing a tree high enough to see above the canopy would probably end up much worse than sleeping in the woods for the night.

Plan – After you’ve taken a moment to relax, and you’ve thought about where you are and what’s around you, it’s time to make a plan. At this point, it might be safer to stay put for the night than it would to try and make it before dark hits. The whole point of a survival situation is to survive, so don’t do what’s preferable or fastest, always go with the safest and most certain method.

2) Overconfidence

There’s nothing wrong with believing in yourself, but when the level of confidence surpasses physical human capabilities it’s not going to end well. There are so many survival stories that begin with someone taking a random turn along a walk or trying to make it to a certain point of their trip before dark. If you’re ever in a situation where you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to do something in a set amount of time, then always assume you can’t. It’s better to make a shelter for the night when you still have some daylight left than to try and power out of your situation, only to find yourself lost in the dark without anything over your head.

3) Don’t leave your vehicle

If a person is reported missing after taking a vehicle somewhere, the first thing the rescue teams will look for is the vehicle itself. If a plane has crashed on a mountain range, it’s considered a waste of time searching for survivors in random places without knowing where the plane actually went down. Vehicles are much easier to spot from the air than a person is, and they also act as a waterproof shelter, making your chances of survival in the short term and eventually getting found much higher.

4) Don’t eat and drink certain things out of desperation

The acid contained within a human stomach is very strong and is more than capable of killing most harmful germs and bacteria, but that’s not to say that it makes consuming things completely safe. One of the best examples of this point would be people drinking their own urine when their thirst becomes too much. When it’s first produced it is sterile and usually safe to drink, but it contains all the waste minerals and other things your body is trying to get rid of. It also goes off very quickly and gets filled with harmful bacteria, making it very dangerous to consume after more than a couple of hours. Raw meat on an animal carcass can look like a 5-star meal for someone dying of starvation, but eating the wrong thing at this stage will most definitely kill you. Raw meat, especially from certain animals is prone to parasites and can cause all sorts of problems. Unless you can reach a hospital the same day as you eat something you shouldn’t have, then you’re going to have to face the end of your survival situation.

5) Don’t take risks

When you’re desperate enough, it can be tempting to wade across a river instead of taking several hours to walk around it, but doing so could cause a whole range of new problems. Jumping into the plunge pool of a waterfall, swimming across cold water, and all the other things you see people do in movies should be avoided, along with all the more reasonable ones like climbing tall trees to see your position or eating a mushroom or berry that you’re “pretty sure” is safe to eat. Taking the safe option will give you a much better chance of making it out alive than trying to take a few hours off your travel time by doing something risky.