Chapter14: The Mental Challenges We Must Overcome To Survive

 

Survival is about more than just physical ability and preparation.  There are a number of severe mental challenges that an individual must face and overcome to survive in a Doomsday scenario.  Understanding the obstacles one may face before they become issues, is key to successfully overcoming the issues in the future.

 

Depression

 

One very likely mental challenge following a Doomsday event is depression.  This may be triggered as a result of financial, emotional or physical losses sustained during the event.  The loss of one's home and possessions can be very traumatic and, when this is accompanied by the death of a loved one or separation from family members, depression is almost guaranteed.

 

If you find yourself faced with depression, the will to keep going forward can seem impossible to find.  Unfortunately in a Doomsday scenario, the possibility of seeking medical care and medicine to counteract depression is very likely to be limited.  Keeping occupied with survival may be your best medicine during this time.  If you recognize that you are prone to suffer from depression now, it may be wise to consult with your doctor and have antidepressants prescribed to you now and treat these as part of your regular medications when planning for Doomsday events.

 

Suicidal Thoughts

 

Thoughts of suicide often follow closely with the onset of depression.  In the aftermath of a Doomsday event, it is normal for survivors to feel guilty for living through the event when others have died or been injured.  Survivors of global or large-scale events may also have these feeling as a result of feeling isolated or hopelessly alone in the world.  This may lead them to take unnecessary risks or directly try to injure themselves.

 

To counteract these dangerous thought patterns, find things that occupy your time in a positive way.  Reading, writing down memoirs, listening to music and following routines you held before the Doomsday event can help to alleviate some of the distress brought on by isolation.  These activities help us to reaffirm to ourselves that we are still part of a society and civilized despite difficult living conditions and separation from others.  If you have chosen to include a two-way radio in your preparations, just the sound of another human voice can be very comforting in these times and provide a glimmer of hope in what would otherwise be a very dark situation as long as considerations regarding safe communications with the outside world are taken into account.

 

Once again, if you recognize suicidal tendencies or thoughts in your current behavior, it may be advisable to consult with your physician to have medication on hand in the event of an emergency.  Just like the other areas of preparation, understanding your current mental health and the effect that a Doomsday event could have to amplify certain thoughts or behaviors beforehand is imperative.  If you can prepare for the worst eventuality before it happens, the likelihood of surviving the worst improves substantially.

 

Making preparation for the mental challenges that might crop up in times of peril require more than just considering your own mental health status if you intend to go through the event as part of a group or with your family.  If you have children as part of your group, then plan on ways to handle these challenges for them as well.  Refer back to Chapter 11. Comfort In The Midst Of Devastation for tips on how to make shelter life more comfortable for you and the children in your group.  Children may also need more attention and the opportunity to communicate their fears and thoughts in these trying times.  Be prepared to assist them with processing what has happened and methods of coping with the situation they now face.

 

Survivor's guilt is likely to be a very common issue in a post-apocalyptic world.  Understanding the psychiatric and social hard-wiring that has implanted these cues into our minds can help in alleviating the symptoms that you and others encounter after disaster.