Crisis Center

How societies and individuals deal with disaster

John A. Call, Ph.D., J.D., A.B.P.P. is a forensic psychologist, an attorney, and president of Crisis Management Consultants, Inc. For more information visit crisisinc.com See full bio

July 21, 2008, Anxiety

Developing the Survival Attitude: Part 3 of 3

Tips for acting productively in a disaster.

Parts 1 and 2 of this post gave several helpful tips on how to think in a disaster situation. This part reviews two important topics: understanding how disasters happen and how your behavior affects disaster situations. Here are a few tips for acting productively in a disaster.

*Learn to understand how your actions can have large effects. Some think that one person's actions don't make much difference in the big picture, but consider the traffic situation in a major city at 5 PM. One person who decides to slam on his brakes in traffic can cause a major pile-up, injuring or killing other people. Be aware of the consequences of your actions and act accordingly.

*Don't let down your guard until you are completely out of a disaster situation. Many people may think that they are in the clear once a major goal has been met, but sometimes there are still tough times ahead. Be sure to keep your wits until the situation is completely over.

*Calculate the risk versus the reward in any given situation. Trying to make it home for dinner can become dangerous if you decide to speed and drive recklessly. Ask yourself: What is the reward I'm after? What am I willing to pay for that reward?

*Try new things! Believe it or not, getting out of your comfort zone to do new things in everyday life can help you in a disaster situation. Thinking outside the box can help you in a crisis, but you can't do that if you don't know how. So learn something hard. Or learn something you already know in a different way. Constantly using your mind and expanding your mental abilities will help you when disaster strikes.