In survival situations we recognize that air, shelter, water, and food are all vital components. Often overlooked is the necessity of a positive mental attitude (PMA) and really, it needs to be at the top of the list.
Negativity drains energy.
Have you ever spent time with people who speak or think negatively for any period of time? Do you feel refreshed and engaged when you walk away? Engaging in negative talk can be an easy mental path to take and yet, it will drain your energy each and every time. On the other hand, being overly optimistic and in constant positivity is not a sustainable place to be either. PMA is not about maintaining a constant optimism in the face of challenges. It is much more than that.
PMA includes the thoughts you have towards yourself as well as the situation. It is essentially how you speak to yourself and look for the advantages in your environment to support survival, including firecraft, shelter, and navigation.
While we may pick up habits of self-talk from how we were raised, just like any other habit or skill, PMA can be learned with intentional repetition. Start by being honest with yourself about your mental habits which will allow you to focus on what you want to be doing. This creates focused learning.
Acknowledge the situation and work toward a solution.
Self-talk is the way we speak to ourselves. Healthy self-talk is being able to think through the thoughts you have and speak to yourself in a way that will help you overcome the situation. The way we speak to ourselves is often in the back of our mind, playing without us even noticing. When you notice how you speak to yourself you can begin to focus that talk on what matters.
Using self-talk is helpful when you need to focus on breaking down a large activity you need to accomplish. Each time you accomplish a task/action your PMA is increased, feeding into positive reinforcement.
Let’s take a look at setting appropriate objectives while out in a survival situation.
Initially you may think that you want to:
1. Create a water proof and durable structure
2. Make a fire for warmth at night
3. Find a water source for thirst
Knowing you have three main priorities prior to nightfall allows you to assess and make changes to the plan. Determining the top priorities has to take into consideration the amount of energy, time, and PMA involved.
When assessing these top priorities you may change the shelter to: Create a very basic or ‘usable’ structure. Changing a shelters complexity will save on the time and effort you put into this first priority knowing that you can add to the structure or change it the following day if necessary. You may also determine that making a smaller fire before building the shelter will provide some necessary light and heat if dusk is approaching. A fire can then be added to or adjusted for size at a later time.
Changing to a Positive Mental Attitude
Positive Mental Attitude can be a challenge to develop and sustain. Consider focusing, practicing, and memorizing some basic PMA statements:
I have overcome challenges in the past.
My training and preparation are going to get me through.
I will focus on the first thing I need to do.
There are advantages in my environment that will support me.
I can learn from what has happened and either find or improvise a solution.
Remember, acknowledge the challenge and focus on what will help you move toward a positive solution.
Until next time,
Hoagy
