Tuesday, August 27, 2013

I did like #7

Found this while having a look around the internet today. The whole article is worth a read but here's an extract:

Here are Courtley's 10 ways to think and act like a Seal and survive, as told to ABC News:

1. Early Preparation

"Survival is all about preparation," he said. "You start in your mind, start getting mentally tougher. You start rehearsing mentally situations you might find yourself in, so that when you find yourself in that situation, you're able to deal with it."

2. Practice "battle proofing"

Both mentally and physically rehearsing for a dangerous situation is what the military calls "battle proofing". "Imagine closing your eyes and getting your seatbelt on and off, or closing your eyes and rolling your window up and down," he said. "If you do it enough times you can do it without even looking down. It just happens."

3. Confidence is Key

"If you feel like you know how to handle a situation, whether it be a boss at work who is a pain in the butt or now I'm upside down in a car and water's coming in, if you feel confident, this thing is going work a lot better," Courtley said.

4. Practice "Combat Breathing'

"You breathe in for four seconds, you breathe out for four seconds, and it's something as simple as that," he said. "Not only are you getting oxygen but you're giving this thing a chance to like, okay, bring it down. I use combat breathing when I'm driving and I get cut off."

5. Have a Will to Live

If you find yourself in a dire situation, it helps to focus on something to motivate you to live. "Create a trigger. What is the most important thing in your life? It could be a family member. I want to see my son tonight. I'm going do whatever it takes, whether it's crawling out of a burning car, fighting a guy twice your size in a back alley, you flip that trigger."

6. "Rule of 3"

"You think of three options that you will have to get out of that situation … option 1, option 2, option 3. Do a quick pro and con of those three, and then just pick one and go with it."

7. Do Something

The worst thing you can do is nothing at all, and don't wait for someone to come and rescue you. "You can't wait for somebody to help you out. You can't expect somebody will be there to assist."

8. Don't Be Paranoid

"I would never preach being hyper-vigilant, being paranoid, because that's no way to live," Courtley said. "That goes back to the confidence of knowing, 'OK, I'm ready, I've thought about it, I prepared for it, now I'm going to live my life because I know if this happens, I will know how to handle it.'"

9. Have a Survival "go bag" in the Car

Have a "go bag" in your vehicle. Items can include a water filtration system, a multi-tool, water resistant pouches for documents and electronics, three days worth of prescriptions, first aid items and a poncho.

10. What If You're in the Car During a Disaster?

"Do you abandon the vehicle or stay put?" Courtley said. "It depends on the situation. What is the first thing that's going to kill you?" In an avalanche, the best thing to do is stay in the car, but if the car is on fire, then you will want to get out as fast as possible.


1 comment:

Old NFO said...

Yep, one has to actually DO something! And plans are just that, the ability to react to situations is the real key!