by Bill Chisholm
I don’t bill myself as a survival expert, only a person who has been gifted with a good deal of training and experience in testing my metal and mental capacity to solve problems in challenging situations. My training and experience covers a broad sweep from wildlands fire fighter, disaster manager, wilderness survival instructor, EMT, handyman/carpenter, ranch lands manager to political activist and yoga instructor. What I’ve learned along the way has given me the ability to minimize the rattle factor in my life and to move quickly from problem awareness to solution strategy.
By the “rattle factor”, I mean that aspect of a sudden change in one’s modus operandi or comfort zone, where one is shaken by the shift in circumstances, and is either trapped in focusing on the problem or is paralyzed by it so they can’t function and thus can’t begin to extricate themselves from the problem and move toward solution.
Wearing my survival instructor hat, I tell students, “There is no such thing as an emergency, only situations of heightened inputs.” This isn’t to make light of serious situations, but to help one think about them in a different way. Albert Einstein is quoted in a variety of ways as having said “We can’t solve our problems at the same level (or mode) of thinking at which we created them.” Critical thinking and problem solving are cognitive functions that take practice, take honing to make them a readily available tool. In the not too distant past, especially in rural areas, people had to be fairly self reliant, had to assess the problem and come up with fixes. Now days, we are trained to call 911 in an emergency situation, call the repairman, the techy, the doctor. There are certainly situations where that might be advisable. The catch is when help is not readily available and we find ourselves a victim of our inability to remedy our situation.
Critical thinking and problem solving, especially in times of intensity, are skills that like a sharp knife take honing so that when they are needed they are ready for action. Adrenaline is that great gift of Nature that empowers us to movements of “fight or flight”, the ability to get us out of harms way. It is also a bit of a curse, because it can intensify the rattle factor, allow us to lose our heads and maybe our lives, when having a “cool head” is what’s needed. There are simple ways to reverse the adrenaline impact and the quickest is long slow, deep breaths, raising the oxygen levels in the blood, a more powerful one is to sit on the ground and do alternate nostril breathing while counting , thus oxygenating the breath and distracting or quieting the mind. That immediately minimizes the rattle factor.
Pilots go through intense training to remain cool and assess quickly the air worthiness of their craft. There is no time to wallow in the mire, they have to quickly assess the situation and figure out a way to get safely to the ground. It takes work to stay cool, it takes training the mind. The best way to train one’s self to stay cool under pressure, to hone one’s critical thinking/problem solving tool, is to use that tool on a regular basis, get used to it. You notice, I am emphasizing “minimizing the rattle factor”, not eliminating it. Things happen, and when they do we are wired to “come to”, to be startled. That is a good thing; it gears us up for a response. The key here is to shift quickly and the best way to do so is to live your life in a way in which you are the primary problem solver in your life.
Though I make part of my living as a “handyman”, solving other people’s problems, I urge people to be their own handyman, mechanic, health care provider. It not only can save you money, but it is empowering and most importantly it hones your ability to solve problems. In the wilderness survival instructor world, there is a saying that “What you need is within 30 feet of you.” The solution may not be obvious; the key might be in “repurposing” an object, putting it to work at a task totally different from that for which it was designed. I’ve often found myself in situations, where the tool or piece of equipment I was working with suddenly breaks, I’m mile from town and the job needs to get it done. Sure I cuss, the rattle factor kicks in, but then I immediately start to assess the situation, what went wrong, can I make do with what I have or do I have to secure things and head to town. Either way, I am the one making the decision, calling the shots. I may need a new part, need someone’s help, but I’m a player in the game. My assessment skills have been sharpened.
William K. (Bill) Chisholm 