There is no one survival or preparedness plan that fits every situation or for every person. There are however a few guidelines that can be used by anyone in any situation, to improve your chances. From seeing an economy in danger to being stuck in the ditch during a snowstorm in a remote area, or even to being stranded on a desert island, I’ll list the tools below that survivors have practiced versions of since walking out of the Garden of Eden. The tools I am going to go over are more geared toward surviving an event of some type. While some very well could be used by someone beating cancer, some just won’t apply.
Normalcy Bias
My Friend Dene Brock wrote a great article on normalcy bias:, I’ll quote her definition:
“Normalcy bias refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster.”
I think there are two types of normalcy bias, one is when people don’t believe bad things will happen; this thinking is foolish. The second group disbelieves it is happening even while it is happening; this thinking is dangerous.
I started with this one for a reason, it is extremely important! We can ensure we’re not in group one by being informed about possible dangers and since you’re reading an article on a preparedness site, I’m guessing you’re not one of the people from group one who thinks bad things won’t happen.
I think if you practice situational awareness it is much easier to notice the proverbial paddle-less boat is heading down the crick for what it is. If you are aware that the boat is slowly leaving the shore and that there is no paddle, it’s a lot harder to go on believing there is nothing wrong. No there are not always signs that there is something wrong, but I think more often than not there are, we just have to be “awake” and paying attention.
Get Your Mind Right
The most important survival tool you have is your mindset, (which normalcy bias is a part of). I’m not talking about what you know in terms of skills, I’m talking about what you allow your perception to be. I’m not talking about “think good thoughts and it will happen”, that’s part of it, but I’m talking about reaching down to that place inside of you that some of you might think unpleasant, that place that anger and rage dwell the place where determination is the deciding factor. That place that that gives you the determination to say “NO! This is not happening if I have ANYTHING to do about it.” I don’t mean get angry for the sake of getting angry. You see anger and even rage can give you the strength, the determination to grab five stones and walk to face the giant.
There have been many documented cases where someone survived and the reason they gave was because they refused to give up, they would not quit. To some extent this might be in our DNA, some people are just made more resilient; they can take more punishment and keep going. But I think there is a lot of choice in there as well. Have you ever watched any documentary of SEAL training? It is brutal, absolutely brutal especially ”Hell week”
From USMIlitary.About.com
“Trainees are constantly in motion; constantly cold, hungry and wet. Mud is everywhere–it covers uniforms, hands and faces. Sand burns eyes and chafes raw skin. Medical personnel stand by for emergencies and then monitor the exhausted trainees. Sleep is fleeting–a mere three to four hours granted near the conclusion of the week. The trainees consume up to 7,000 calories a day and still lose weight.”
The thing about SEAL training is that you can quit at any time, you just have to take the walk of shame and ring the bell. I have no proof, but I would venture that the only people that make it through “Hell Week” are the people who reach down to that place where anger and determination dwell.
That emotion is a gift from God, it’s what we do with it that might be a sin and using it to fight for the life He gave you isn’t a sin.
The Rule of Three’s
The rule of three’s is a proven survival rule that I covered a couple weeks ago. For review:
The average human can last:
3 seconds without oxygen to the brain
3 minutes without oxygen
3 hours without shelter in poor weather without proper shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food
In a survival situation if you are dealing with the first two rules, fix those, then do a first aid check of yourself and those around you. Once you’re to a point that not having shelter is your biggest danger. then you can work on the five basic human needs.
Five Basic Human Needs
I covered five basic human needs last week, for review they are; water, food, shelter, energy and security. I use the The rule of three’s to determine the importance of the need. If your oxygen and shelter needs are met, then you can concentrate of water. Energy and security are always on a kind of sliding scale. If you need shelter and warmth, then energy in the form of a fire takes a higher priority. As does security if Mr. Dirtbag is around, but it doesn’t have to be a bad guy, you’re security could be in danger due to a tree that looks like it might fall on your house after a storm.
Using these two rules can guide you in deciding what your priority should be after an event.
Survivors Club
I want to get back to mindset for a minute, I’ll be reviewing this book later this week, so I’ll cover it in more detail then. The text below was something I sent out in the Christmas update in 2011.
In the book The Survivors Club
A few pages later he explains something called ‘behavioral inaction’; “The current theory of behavioral inaction goes like this: As your frontal lobes process the site of an airplane wing on fire, they seek to match the information with memories of similar situations in the past. If you have no stored experience of a plane crash, your brain can’t find a match and gets stuck in a loop trying and failing to come up with the right response. Hence: immobility.”
I said that “I want my readers to be in the top 10%; to excel in any crisis because they have either been in a situation, or have thought of what they might do and not be stunned, bewildered or immobile.”
This hasn’t changed. I love it when people post what they would do, but I hope that everyone thinks through the scenarios I post, even if they don’t really apply to them. I was blessed tremendously by a reader letting me know that she was followed in her car by someone she accidentally cut off. She said that because of some of the things she had read on this site she knew to be aware and kept trying to lose Mr. Dirtbag, which she eventually did. Thank you God!
Going through different “what ifs” is a great way to stave off any normalcy bias that an easy blessed life might let start to creep in. It could also help you act when you’re put in a survival situation, if you have something for your brain to latch on to, you won’t get stuck in ‘behavioral inaction’ and immobility.
Friends I think we’re headed for times that are scattered with turbulence. By avoiding normalcy bias and being aware, we can face the trials with grit and determination. We can use the rule of three’s and five basic needs to make sure our physical needs are met and pray to the Lord to see us through to the other side.
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