B.E.S.T. CHANCES FOR SURVIVAL

How to be your B.E.S.T. in any emergency situation.

When you total up all of the natural disasters, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, violent storms and their aftermath, extremes of heat and cold, it’s enough to give us all pause. Add to these residential and high-rise fires, terrorists attacks, automobile accidents and a host of other man-made emergencies its easy to wonder about our chances for long-term survival. Given the variety of crises that can present themselves in any moment, its good to know that there is one thing you can do, in advance, to mentally prepare yourself for any disaster, to give yourself the BEST chance for survival.

In any survival situation one can chose to execute a plan or panic, these are the only two options. Survival begins with a practiced plan. When the human mind and body are confronted by a “startling” situation, with the pit in our stomach and our heart in our throat, the body secretes a mass of chemicals as part of our “fight or flight or freeze” reaction. With a plan, you use the chemicals. When you panic, the chemicals use you.

First, the plan.

Now a plan serves three purposes.

1. It helps to postpone our sense of panic in an emergency situation. When an emergency hits, our bodies (actually our minds go first) enter the “fight or flight” stage. At this moment, a myriad of chemicals rushes into our bloodstream for the sole purpose of aiding us in the above situation. Stay or go, you will need the energy to do so and this is the natural purpose of these inner chemicals. At that point, you need to ask yourself only one question, “Am I going to use these chemicals or are these chemicals going to use me?” When we have a plan, we use the chemicals; when we panic, these chemicals use us. In the end, if we panic, we perish, as the old survival saying goes.

One way to hijack this rush of chemicals is to have a plan, rehearse it in your mind and be prepared for whatever chance throws at you. (Get it, learn it, rely on it). See Mindups for more info.

2. While a plan gives us a sense of purpose, our goal is to survive alive. Period. When we have a clear picture in our mind’s eye of not only what we want to do (survive alive) but also why we want to do it (life, family, friends), that sense of purpose infuses us with the drive to survive.

3. A pre-thought and practiced plan gives us a blueprint. Plain and simple. A mental step by step, if you will.

As a part of any plan, CPR certification by your local American Red Cross and a basic Wilderness First Aid course, like those offered by NOLS and SOLO is a tremendous first step. My personal certification comes from NOLS and the American Red Cross.

Second, the Mindset.

Here is a short Mindup that will not only help you create the B.E.S.T. chances for survival, it is a great starting point for any emergency or survival situation. The practiced repetition of this technique can very well save your life.

B…Breathe in through your nose one, deep, full-lung breath.
Often times a panic situation can leave you immobile. Taking an initial action, even one as simple as inhaling helps to reverse the freezing process. You are either “gripped” by the emergency or you are in charge. It all begins with breathing.

E…Exhale through your nose while whispering your name.
Staying centered and “in the moment” is imperative in any survival situation. If you have the presence of mind to state your name, you have the presence of mind to address the situation at hand. Also, a full cycle of inhale/exhale starts to slow the chemical rush you are experiencing.

S…Scan your immediate horizon to combat tunnel vision.
Every situation is different. By scanning your immediate surroundings you not only combat the tunnel vision common in emergency situations, you begin to look for a way to handle the emergency; a way to implement your survival plan.

T…Take specific and focused action.
Once you have focused your breath and your eyes you can begin to focus your response to the crisis at hand. Have confidence in yourself, your plan and your innate, human ability to survive almost anything.

By practicing the B.E.S.T. Chances for Survival Technique, you can begin to develop a strategy to take the “all of a sudden” out of “all of the sudden.” Doing so is the first step to surviving!