Survival Psychology

Overview

Mindset drives outcomes under pressure. This chapter builds the habits that keep you thinking clearly, choosing well, and acting decisively when conditions are uncertain or dangerous. Pair these skills with the priorities in Survival Priorities for maximum effect.

Acute Stress Response

Your body’s alarm system (adrenaline, cortisol) is adaptive—but untrained, it can degrade judgment and fine motor skills.

What you may feel:

Racing heart, shaky hands, dry mouth, narrowed vision, muffled hearing, time “slowing.”
Thinking traps: panic, fixation on one detail, black‑and‑white choices.

Regulation tools (pick one, do it for 60–120 seconds):

Box breathing: inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Repeat x6–10.
Physiological sigh: short inhale + longer inhale, slow exhale through mouth; repeat x3–5.
5–4–3–2–1 grounding: name 5 sights, 4 touches, 3 sounds, 2 smells, 1 taste.

💡 Tip: Say out loud, “Stress response detected; I can still choose.” Labeling the state creates distance from it.

Managing Fear

Fear narrows focus; use it, don’t let it use you.

Self‑talk: “This is survivable. One step at a time.”
Micro‑goals: “Put on shell. Get behind wind break. Drink 200 mL.”
Posture cue: Chin up, shoulders down, widen stance; scan deliberately left‑to‑right.
Fuel the brain: small sip, small bite if safe—stabilizes mood and cognition.

📝 Note: Pair fear control with a quick plan (STOP or OODA) so calm translates into useful action.

Tunnel Vision

Stress compresses attention. Force your aperture wider.

“120° arc scan”: Turn head left‑to‑right, near–mid–far, twice.
“Up/Down check”: Look up for hazards (deadfall, lines), down for footing.
“Team cross‑check”: Buddy calls out hazards you missed; acknowledge and repeat back.
Touch check: Tap critical kit—phone, map/compass, light, first aid, warmth—so you remember what’s available.

💡 Tip: Set a timer to re‑scan every 10 minutes in poor visibility or fast‑changing conditions.

Decision Paralysis

When choices feel overwhelming, constrain the problem.

Timebox: “Pick a course in 2 minutes.” Use an alarm. Decide, then monitor.
Satisficing: Choose the first option that clearly improves safety. Perfection later.
Premortem: “If this fails, why?” Adjust the plan before acting.
Heuristics: Pre‑commit small rules. Example: “If we haven’t found the trail in 20 minutes, we stop and shelter.”

☑️ Checklist — Anti‑Paralysis

Set 1–2 measurable objectives
Choose next step that reduces risk now
Set a check time and a backstop (turnaround)
Communicate plan to self/party (say it out loud)

STOP

A four‑step reset to re‑align actions with priorities.

1) Stop: Freeze your feet; breathe down your pulse. Use a 2‑minute timer. 2) Think: Purpose (survive unharmed), constraints (injury, weather, daylight, battery), assets (gear, skills, companions). 3) Observe: People (injuries), place (terrain, shelter), things (gear inventory), time (to dark, to weather change). 4) Plan: Next right action + check time + success/failure criteria.

Example — Separated from group in mixed forest, drizzle, 9°C/48°F:

Stop: Shell on, hat/gloves; timer 2 minutes; box breathing.
Think: Goal = be findable; Constraint = cooling, 2 hours to dusk.
Observe: Signal (whistle 3 blasts), choose high‑contrast tarp spot near handrail (stream), phone 36% with offline map.
Plan: Build quick A‑frame, set mirror/flashlight ready; listen/watch 10 minutes; if no contact, move 200 m to stream (handrail), stay put, signal every 10 minutes.

OODA

Keep cycling decisions with reality.

Observe: Gather facts—weather shift, ground truth vs map, teammate status.
Orient: Fit into your mental model; update it (e.g., trail washed out => handrail navigation).
Decide: Pick a course with the best safety/time payoff now.
Act: Execute; then re‑observe on a set interval (5–15 minutes, or after key checkpoints).

💡 Tip: Write down two options and why you chose one. This creates a breadcrumb for later review if you need to pivot quickly.

⚠️ Caution: Plan continuation bias kills—don’t keep pushing a bad plan because you’re invested. If conditions violate your thresholds, switch plans.

⛑️ First Aid: For casualties, run a micro‑OODA every 2–5 minutes: bleeding, airway, breathing, heat, mental status.

Practice Drills (Short, Useful)

90‑second reset: Any time you feel rushed, do STOP with box breathing.
Timed choices: Pick a route or action in 120 seconds; implement, then review.
Kim’s Game: Study 10 items for 30 seconds, then recall—improves observation under stress.

Common Cognitive Traps (and Counters)

Normalcy bias: “This will pass.” Counter: Ask, “What would make me wrong?”
Plan continuation: “We’ve already invested.” Counter: Pre‑set abort criteria.
Anchoring: Fixating on first info. Counter: Seek disconfirming evidence.
Groupthink: Silence ≠ agreement. Counter: Assign a red‑team voice.

Key Takeaways

You can regulate your physiology quickly; practice one breathing tool until it’s automatic.
Collapse big problems into the next safe, useful action; timebox decisions and review.
Use STOP for rapid resets and OODA for ongoing navigation of uncertainty.
Write down thresholds and backstops in calm moments; follow them when stressed.

Scenarios

🧭 Scenario (Fog ridge): Wind bites; visibility 30 m; your pulse spikes.
🔍 Decisions: Run downslope vs STOP and breathe; push time vs set a turnaround.
✅ Outcome: Two minutes of box breathing; STOP → observe wind and terrain; plan a measured backtrack with a 20‑minute check.
🧠 Lessons:
- Physiology control first
- Next safe, useful action beats perfection
🏋️ Drill: Box‑breathe while reading a map until your hands stop shaking.