Say you get lost. If you’re found within three days, your chance of surviving and being rescued is about 97%. Could you hang in there for three days until you’re found? If you can, statically you should be ok.
I’m not a “prepper” or a survivalist, but an ability to feel and be self-secure goes a long way and it doesn’t require too much mental conditioning.
In our society we’re probably more vulnerable today than we ever have been before because our systems are too complex for any one person to master. I’m not talking about returning to primitive living which is opened-ended. I’m talking about a situation you’re expecting or hoping to be rescued from.
In other words, if you find yourself in an emergency, potentially life threatening situation. Your primary goal will be dealing with immediate conditions until you’re out of that situation.
In the wilderness, if you have a good attitude and a down jacket, you can survive for quite a while because two key areas are covered, your body’s core temperature and your mindset. Next, if you have access to water and can make a fire, Yahtzee.
Food won’t be an issue. You can go a few weeks without food, and a few days without water. Even at home we’ve become very dependent on things outside of our control, like a steady supply of electricity. If the lights go out for a long time, we’d all be in a tough spot.
You don’t have to sweat the fancy knots, building traps, or morse code. Just maintain your core temp and stay calm. Here’re three tips to remember from Lars Fält, a top survival instructor. His three suggestions for cultivating the right survival attitude are:
1. “Accept” early on that you are a person who’s going to survive.
2. Cultivate good social relationships. They’re essential to creating the will to survive and the desire to fight on.
3. Break the big task down into smaller ones. Thinking about the big picture is usually counter-productive to survival. Getting down to the business of successfully completing a series of tasks is a winning strategy.
You can hang in there for three days.