Fear Kills?

[Survivo]

In most of the survival situations it's the fear and panic that comes after it that kill people. Some may argue this but a lot of people will panic in stressful and apparently hopeless situations.

 

[Woods]

I agree, it is hard not to panic when you start realizing that you don't know how to escape your current situation. Who keeps their wits in such situations have bigger chances to survive.

 

[oldsarge]

Sitting down for about a half hour and assess your situation, will help calm one down and get their thoughts in order. Fear and panic cause people to rush and make decisions that may make things worse.

 

[Refrigerator]

Sitting down for about a half hour and assess your situation, will help calm one down and get their thoughts in order. Fear and panic cause people to rush and make decisions that may make things worse.

oldsarge is right on.

 

[Gondor]

Sitting down for about a half hour and assess your situation, will help calm one down and get their thoughts in order. Fear and panic cause people to rush and make decisions that may make things worse.

Just compare a drowning man with these situations and everything will be clearer. Try to spread calm and peace amongst others and don't forget to bring a survival kit.

 

[Lamebeaver]

Actually, I suspect it's hypothermia.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

If you're lost, stop. Build a fire and make a cup of tea or coffee (You DO have your survival kit with you?...I thought so!) and think it out.

A fire is a huge psychological boost, and doing something familiar will calm you down and let you formulate a better plan.

There have been numerous cases of people getting lost and panicking so badly that they actually ran through the woods, shedding all their gear, even their clothing, until they were exhausted and died of hypothermia.

 

[DThewanderer]

I am lucky that I am the kind of person who gets in the right mindset when an emergency happens. I don't know if it is instinct or not. At the same time I know a lot of people who panic. If you are in a group you have to make sure that the person who keeps calm can keep the ones who might panic in check.

 

[pastywhite]

Fear can cause you to make some poor choices but hypothermia will kill you.

 

[oldsarge]

A fire is a huge psychological boost, and doing something familiar will calm you down and let you formulate a better plan.

There have been numerous cases of people getting lost and panicking so badly that they actually ran through the woods, shedding all their gear, even their clothing, until they were exhausted and died of hypothermia.

A fire is a Godsend, it can change the whole situation.

Seen a show where a person was lost in the grand canyon. To conserve energy, they dropped their pack. Then ventured out to get their bearing., they never found their pack again. They were eventually rescued, but suffered do to not having any gear.

I've also seen people doubt their navigational abilities, and stop using a map and compass because they said it got them lost.

 

[Rain]

Fear and panic are the cause of death and injury and many situations not only wilderness survival situations. People die of being trampled because of the overwhelming fear of the herd.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

A fire is a Godsend, it can change the whole situation.

Seen a show where a person was lost in the grand canyon. To conserve energy, they dropped their pack. Then ventured out to get their bearing., they never found their pack again. They were eventually rescued, but suffered do to not having any gear.

I've also seen people doubt their navigational abilities, and stop using a map and compass because they said it got them lost.

Yep- stopping to calm down and do something commonplace helps anchor you. A fire gives you confidence that you will be warm and safe.

People that have the right mindest can survive in terrible conditions, where those who panic or despair can die in even mild circumstances.

 

[ppine]

Conquering fear is correlated a lot with mental toughness. It is a conscious choice that people make in how they live their lives, and what they are willing to overcome. The military does a good job of stressing to people that most obstacles are really mental, more than physical and somewhat psychological. Confidence from practice and experience can boost one's chances of overcoming difficult situations.

It is common to hear stories of people that are really in trouble to panic and take off their clothes in all temperature ranges.

 

[Grandpa]

I decided I like a wuss in the crowd. One elk hunting trip we had made a big horseshoe loop and was only about 4 miles from camp but the trail my map showed hadn't been cleared that year and we couldn't get the horses through the deadfall. We were in a foot or so of snow at about 8500 feet so decided it was safer to dig in and spend the night. I found a perfect place in a spruce thicket for the horses and nearby was a very large downed pine to make a perfect reflector for the fire. Once the fire was going with a good supply of wood for the night I curled up in my poncho and went to sleep. I didn't realize how frightened my friend really was until the next morning. He had sat up all night keeping the fire going because he just knew we were going to freeze to death. He admitted to being near panic and just being aware of that made him even more nervous because he thought he could deal with fear better than that.

 

[ppine]

Grandpa,

A great story that we can all learn from. I bet you still made the right decision to stay put.

 

[oldsarge]

It's amazing how panic will make you do stupid things. Many years ago my sister and I took the kids for a walk in the wooded area near my home. We were on a paved bike trail that circles the lake. My one nephew (age 12) kept joking around and annoying everyone. All in fun and having a good time though. At one point he walked out in the woods to find a stick. We all hide behind this large tree on the other side of the path in some really thick bushes. My nephew turns and sees no one around and runs back out on the trail, then in a panic he runs back into the woods yelling for us. He really got spooked and was almost in tears. I asked him, "why did you run in the woods"? "Why didn't you look down the trail to find us or at least follow the trail back home"? He didn't know!
Several years later I hide on my sister and freaked her out too! She didn't know what to do but just stand there almost in tears because I wasn't answering her. I told her I was paying her back for what we did to my nephew years ago. She didn't think it was funny at all.

 

[Newanderthal]

Fear is good for you. Panic is the killer. Fear keeps me from tangling with that rattle snake, crossing that raging river, climbing that cliff, or doing something else stupid. Fear keeps you in check.

But you have to keep it in check. Keep your fear beside you, just don't let it take the lead.

 

[oldsarge]

Fear is good for you. Panic is the killer. Fear keeps me from tangling with that rattle snake, crossing that raging river, climbing that cliff, or doing something else stupid. Fear keeps you in check.

But you have to keep it in check. Keep your fear beside you, just don't let it take the lead.

Great point!

 

[ppine]

Newanderthal,

That is the most prophetic thing you have written to date. Good observations.

 

[Grandpa]

Newanderthal,

That is the most prophetic thing you have written to date. Good observations.

Dunno Pine, Newanderthal has philosophised on a lot of good stuff. But I think this is the fear you were referring to a few weeks ago about the horses. I stand corrected, maybe I do have a little fear in me.