When disaster strikes, how do you make effective survival decisions under pressure?
Making smart decisions when emergencies strike is a matter of training and skills.
Potential Prepper Decision-Making Scenarios
In survival situations, every second counts. Whether it’s before, during, or after an emergency, learning how to make effective decisions can make the difference between life and death. The good news – you can train your mind and your body to respond quickly and effectively when faced with disaster.
Here are some survival situations a prepper may encounter:
:: Lost in the forest
:: Rising floodwater
:: Accidents
:: Treating injury or illness
:: Crime and threats
:: Encounters with wild animals
:: Clean drinking water and food scarcity
:: Lack of necessary prepper tools and supplies
Disaster scenarios will involve your quick decision making and those decisions can lead to your best chance of survival. Take a few moments to think about what quick steps you would do to handle each scenario.
How Decision-Making Under Pressure Affects Survival
Whether you’re lost while bugging out, facing an approaching natural disaster, or asked to help others in an unexpected emergency, you will be called upon to make quick, effective decisions under pressure. We’re talking about decisions that can catapult your brain to a ‘fight-or-flight” … as cortisol and adrenaline levels hit the roof.
High stress levels can interfere with your ability to make clear, rational decisions when your survival is on the line. While some decisions may have to be made by instinct, a smart and logical decision-making process can be learned.
The “Survival Rule of Threes” Guideline
When you began prepping, you may or may not have heard about the “survival rule of threes.” This list of survival facts helps put a fight for survival into time perspective. In other words, as you read each survival rule, you can plan how you would react to these type of critical emergencies.
Survival Rule of Threes:
:: You can survive 3 minutes without air or in icy water
:: You can survive 3 hours without shelter in extreme weather conditions
:: You can survive 3 days without water
:: You can survive 3 days without sleep
:: You can survive 3 weeks without food
How would you prioritize your actions in those scary, life vs. death scenarios? Preparing how you would respond could help you prevent panic and guide your actions to make quick and effective lifesaving decisions in the right order such as building a warm, insulated shelter before building a water filtration system.
Prioritizing your actions based on the “survival rule of threes” will only be effective if you possess mental toughness to handle the stress of making decisions under pressure.
What is Mental Toughness When Making Decisions Under Pressure?
You may be a prepper who regularly maintains physical fitness. But your mind must also be in tip-top shape to make decisions under pressure. Mental toughness, also known as a strong mental state, is crucial for preppers who want to survive through challenging situations. In fact, it can make the difference between just surviving or thriving.
While mental toughness is more than just having a positive mindset. But being positive is good start. Possessing the confidence that you have the skills to back up your quick decisions under pressure supported by mental resilience can lead you to success.
What is mental resilience? Mental resilience is the ability to persevere through stressful situations and setbacks and adapt to new circumstances outside of your comfort zone. It’s the ability to quickly learn from your mistakes and keep moving despite a sudden change of plan. Fear of failure has no place when it comes to making decisions under pressure.
Also, mental toughness doesn’t mean suppressing emotions, but rather acknowledging them to enhance your quick-thinking, stress management, and coping mechanisms.
The “S.T.O.P. Method of Survival”
When it comes to surviving a dangerous situation, both fear and panic will not help you make better decisions. The “S.T.O.P. Method” is a proven technique that is practiced by survivalists and the military and can make an effective decision-making tool. It can be used by anyone lost in an unknown territory or facing a direct threat to help prevent them from taking unnecessary risks.
The S.T.O.P. method:
S – Stop – Before panic sets in, pause, analyze the situation, and take some deep calming breaths before acting.
T – Think – Consider your environment, resources, and options for survival.
O – Observe – Look around for signs of threat, a possible new direction, and any extenuating circumstances.
P – Plan – Based on observations, decide on the next and best action steps for survival.
Using this method with the easy to remember acronym – S.T.O.P. – can help you gather your thoughts, prevent full blown panic, and make clear, rational, and effective decisions and actions.
Avoiding 5 Common Mistakes in Pressure-Based Decisions
Now that you’ve learned the S.T.O.P. method, it’s important to point out some common mistakes to avoid when making decisions under pressure.
<1> Panic – Exacerbates the Situation
Panic and fear will not help you make an effective decision under pressure. Take deep breaths to ease the mind, lessen anxiety, and assess the situation.
<2> Overreacting – Consider the Consequences
Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Thinking the worse outcome will happen may not be the clear reality. Don’t overreact to the situation by making a poor or irrational decision.
<3> Overconfidence – Know Your Skill Set
When making a quick decision, be realistic of your physical and mental state before attempting an action that you’re not qualified to do. In other words, don’t jump in the lake if you don’t know how to swim.
<4> Underestimating the Situation
Wishful thinking is not a good strategy when it comes to making a decision under pressure. Denial can delay a necessary action required for survival.
<5> Working Alone or Following Others
When possible, allow others to help you make a collective decision under pressure. Acting as a lone wolf may put others in jeopardy. On the flipside, following the lead of others who may be unqualified may be detrimental to your survival. Seek advice when possible, but don’t defer to someone who’s judgement you don’t trust.
But avoiding these common decision making mistakes is easier said than done. Survival is about persevering through all situations by taking one decision at time. Each decision will lead you to safer ground. Even if you make mistakes along the way, you can correct those mistakes and turn them into lessons. Take some time to reflect on the situation and consider which decisions had a positive outcome and which decisions could be handled differently the next time.
Prepper Tools That Can Help You Make Better Decisions
People can’t make decisions without having options. And having essential prepper tools and supplies can give you options. As with all prepper essentials, gaining the skills and know-how to use each tool may be critical to decision making and survival.
Consider adding these tools to your prepper supply:
:: First aid kit
:: Emergency whistle
:: Multi-purpose knife
:: Weaponry
:: Maps/Compass
:: Flashlight
:: Fire starters
:: Radio
:: Tactical equipment and clothing
:: Prepper manual and prepper apps
:: Water purification system
A Sharp Mind Is More Helpful Than A Sharp Survival Knife
With proper training, you can sharpen your decision-making skills. Understanding the priorities based on the “Survival Rule of Threes” and practicing the “S.T.O.P. method” is a good start to train for unexpected emergencies whether in everyday life or during a disaster.
Don’t wait for disaster to strike. Instead prepare now to gain knowledge, skills, and training to ensure that critical decisions made under pressure are effective. Mental toughness helps to maintain focus. Mental resilience allows you to persevere and adjust plan for optimum safety and effectiveness.
In Part 2, we’ll further discuss the importance of preparing your mind and body to help with critical decision making under pressure.
