When you are preparing for the worst, you need to both let your imagination run wild and keep your wits about you. These challenges that people face dealing with emergencies can cause even the most hardened individual to crack under pressure. A central element of staying alive is to assess the situation and make logical decisions.
The problem is that in an emergency, it is human nature to react emotionally. To combat this tendency, people plan ahead. But they often miss the most important part of planning. So to close this brief look into survival when it hits the fan, I want to share, very briefly, an exercise that you should try to make sure you can manage yourself in a crisis.
In any crisis, the first instinctual reaction is one of fear and panic. This is triggered by two tiny parts of our brain known as the amygdalae. These small nodes are the control center for our emotions as well as behavior and motivation driven by our feelings. They are where we process information and create that instantaneous flight, fight or freeze reaction to unpleasant stimuli. In those first moments, our adrenaline surges, our heart rate spikes and we are flooded with energy. Unless we govern ourselves accordingly that energy will seek an outlet.
We overcome our instincts through discipline. The surest way to contain and control our response is to feel it and calm ourselves naturally. This requires practice. And the only effective way to practice is t experience a disaster situation and become mindful of what you are experiencing.
One way to do this is through simulated combat training, such as organized paintball. You will feel the surge of adrenaline in the moment when the game begins. As you feel your heart race, take stock of your body. Slow your breathing and take the time to feel your limbs. As you do this, you will slow your body down, enabling you to control the aggression and fear you feel. Do this repeatedly with any crisis you encounter. As you do, you will train yourself to contend with any emergency you face.