Instead of fleeing instantly, stop, calm yourself down, and assess. And
then make a plan. Knowledge is power. When you assess your situation,
you’re giving yourself knowledge and therefore the power to control your
fate. Resist panic; it will do nothing to help you.
Fear and Anxiety
Fear and anxiety are close cousins of panic, but with important distinc
tions. Unlike panic, which tends to overwhelm a person like a wave, fear
and anxiety take slightly longer to cultivate. No matter how tough you may
be, there will likely come a point during a survival situation where you will
be scared and/or anxious.
Remember that fear is a normal reaction and can be helpful if kept
under control—it adds a dash of caution to circumstances where reckless
ness could lead to injury or mistakes. But allow it to overcome you and it
can be a paralyzing force, impeding your ability to perform the essential
tasks of survival. It can send you running through the woods blindly look
ing for a way out of your living nightmare. Make every effort to keep fear
from turning into panic.
Anxiety may actually help to motivate you since it sets in motion an
instinctual drive to “make things right.” Focusing on survivalrelated tasks
will reduce your anxiety little by little, increasing your sense of wellbeing
and decreasing your fear.
stroud’s Tip
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