2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
Most people in response to such questions tend to answer: this will never happen to me. Probably, among those I was lost in the woods, there are also such. Excessive arrogance, confidence in one's good knowledge of the area, the ability to perfectly navigate the forest, sometimes interfere with being ready to face the problem face to face in reality. And being ready for it means increasing your chances of being saved and surviving.
What to foresee in advance
When going into the woods, leave your overconfidence at home. If relatives go to the forest, especially the elderly or minors, equip them with basic necessities in case they get lost in the forest. Instruct them on what to do if this happens. Do not think that this will never happen to you or your loved ones.
Any of us, especially in old age, is always at risk of a sharp deterioration in health. Any of us is at risk of disorienting ourselves in space. Any of us is at risk of panicking and running in any direction.
When going to the forest, be sure to take with you:
- supply of food and water
- a first aid kit with the most necessary medicines
- compass and map of the area
- a newspaper and matches (it is better, of course, a lighter, since matches can get damp) to make a fire
- a whistle, in case of inability to respond to the shouts of rescuers
- knife
- flashlight with new batteries or a fully charged battery
- a cell phone with a fully charged battery.
When going into the forest, wear bright clothes that are easy to spot from afar. Bring warmer clothes with you depending on the season.
Learn for yourself and teach your relatives to determine the coordinates on the ground using the satellite using a cell phone. It is not difficult. At such coordinates, you can be found in a matter of hours.
What to do if you get lost
If it still happens that you get lost, try to contact relatives or rescuers and sit still. If you keep driving, it will be extremely difficult to find you. You can simply walk away from those who went to your rescue.
If you still hope to get out of the forest on your own, then try to find a path or path and follow it. In any case, she will lead you to the place where people are staying. Try to understand in which direction the nearest settlements are most likely to be. If possible, climb a tree and look around. Try to find some landmarks on the terrain: power lines, towers, pipes, etc.
If you could not get out of the forest before dark, then be sure to make a fire. It will serve you not only for heating, but also as a reference point for rescuers.
Listen for sounds. If you hear someone calling you, shout back. If you don't have the strength to shout, blow the whistle. The sound will make it much easier to find you too.
Try to cope with your panic attacks. In a state of panic, a person is inclined to randomly move around the area, going deeper into the thicket of the forest, getting into swampy swampy places, from which it is extremely difficult to get out. Finding a missing person in such places is also very difficult.
If panic comes
In a state of panic, you are not able to adequately assess the situation, reason sensibly, objectively perceive reality and make the right decisions. Panic is disorienting in space and time. Emotions will definitely not help you cope with the situation, but, on the contrary, will only aggravate it. Therefore, if you still feel a rolling state of panic, try to calm down.
Stop
It's important not to give in to the urge to run. In a panic, a person is inclined to run ahead, not understanding the roads and directions. You will only get even more lost.
Focus on your feelings
When you panic, your thoughts can get confused. The sensations are exacerbated, and it becomes difficult to cope with them. This is because the body enters the "fight or flight" mode. Because of this, heartbeat and breathing speed up, muscles tense, and blood circulation is impaired. Try to feel each sensation. This will help the brain break down information into separate pieces.
Try to be aware of what is happening without judging it as good or bad. For example, you might think, "My heart is beating very fast. My hands are sweating. I feel like I am breathing too fast. It will soon pass." Stay where you are. Over time, your brain will understand that the situation is not dangerous.
Align your breathing
First, take a slow deep breath through your mouth for a count of 4. Hold your breath, count to 3. Then, slowly counting to 5, exhale through your nose. Concentrate your attention on the breathing process, feeling the air flowing through the airways, filling the lungs, and back out as you exhale. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. You should feel your belly swell and fall as you breathe. Do not move your shoulders. Continue breathing in this technique for a few more minutes, until you feel that the muscles begin to relax, the heartbeat has returned to normal, and you can think clearly again.
Temporarily switch to something else
Try to distract your thoughts from experiencing fear, for example, counting from 100 in reverse order, or start repeating a poem or the words of a song. Force yourself to do one or more of these things. Do this until you can calm down.
Relax your muscles
In this case, you will achieve two goals at once: concentrate on something abstract and relieve muscle tension. Start with the muscles of the face, then all the other muscles in turn = down to the tips of the toes. Relax the muscles in the following technique: tense the muscle group and keep it in this state until you count to 10, relax the muscle group. You can do this several times for each muscle group, but once will be enough.
When the panic fades withconcentrate on your surroundings. Try to orient yourself in time and space, think over your position and the algorithm for further actions.
What to do if a relative is missing in the forest
If your relative does not return from the forest for a long time, do not wait, do not drag out time. Report him missing to the police. The period of 3 days from the moment of disappearance has already been canceled. The chance to find the missing alive is always higher on the "hot pursuit".
Together with the police, try to check the most likely places of movement of the relative.
Contact yourself or ask the police to contact the search and rescue volunteer teams to attract more people to find the missing person. Leave someone at home in case the missing person makes it home on their own.
Finally
Instruct your elderly and minor relatives to take with you to the forest at all times. Get a small backpack for this type of hike. Put everything you need in it. Insist that your relatives always take it with them when they go to the forest. Instruct them on how to deal with them if they get lost.
These simple steps will help increase their chances of surviving in such a situation.
Take care of yourself and your family!
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