The moment an accident happens in the wild the first reaction of people is to panic. The most obvious thing a person does in this state is … nothing! Yes… panic grips you to an extent that you lose the sense to be rational.

Generally when accidents happen on adventure trips or you lose your way back to the camp, the success or failure of your finding your way back depends greatly on how much you let the panic element grip you.

Consider this: just about anyone can go astray, or get lost on a trip especially after dark. When such situation arrives just remind yourself that you have the survival instinct within you and it is just a matter of how smartly you let your intuition guide you.

To highlight the upshot that panic has on human beings, let me bring into the light the "RULES OF 3." Knowledge has revealed that you can only wait to stay alive in a fear provoked crisis situation for 3 seconds, you can only continue to exist without oxygen or from brutal blood loss for up to 3 minutes, you can endure exposure to surfeit heat or frosty cold for up to 3 hours and you can survive without food and water for up to 3 days. Panic is your foremost adversary; panic is the one thing you must triumph over at once because fear can and will damage you.

To help you deal with panic let's look at a simple method of handling an emergency situation. Remember the acronym

S.T.O.P.Sit -Think - Observe - Plan.

SIT: The moment realization hits that you are lost, take your time to sit down quietly and make gather your thoughts. Tell yourself you are absolutely safe and gone nowhere. It's the camp, the people who are lost.

THINK: Being rational is the key. See what physical and mental help you have at your disposal.  Check your survival kit and see what can become useful to you. Remind yourself of the number of articles you read or tv serials you saw where survivors of the wild fought their way through the toughest situations. Be optimistic and don't lose hope even for a single minute.

OBSERVE: Scan your surroundings, see for yourself if there is water, place to sleep, open ground where the search team can search you or someplace where you can build a fire. Find yourself shelter the first thing from where you can send out signals, light fire and cook food.

PLAN: Having all the items ready, configure your plan of action. Keep optimism at the peak and stay alert all the time. If the sun has set then build a fire to signal or make shelter to sleep through the night. Keep yourself motivated while thinking that you have survived through panic, it won't be long before the other group members unite with you.

SUGGESTED SURVIVAL KIT

This is only a suggested outline for a personal outdoor survival kit; customize your kit to meet your specific needs.

*Give your close friend a copy of your itinerary.*

A. Always rememberyour focused mind and the ability to not lose your composure are your biggest assets.

B. You survival kit should be waterproof, should have everything you might require and carry it along everywhere you go.

Learn how to use everything inside the kit. Customize your kit according to your needs. See to it that your kit has everything that is required for any type of climatic conditions.

C.  Survival kit essential (Can be mixed and matched according to the needs.

1. Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
2. Heavy Duty plastic bag—Large zip lock
3. Space Emergency Blanket
4. Flares, bright colored bandanna or flag or an Emergency Strobe
5. Whistle
6. Compass for navigation.
7. Matches, candles, one match-one fire, light.
8. Bouillon cubes, one small pack of instant soup, salt
9. Spark Light, magnesium starter.
10. Sewing kit including some tape.
11. Small multiple function knife.
12. Water filter or purification kit.
13. Fishing kit (things like hooks, snares, lures, lines and repairs).
14. Signal mirror.
15. Wire saw
16. Candy or high energy bar
17. Rope, string
18. Insect repellent
19. Small first aid kit
20. Personal need medication.
21. A picture of your loved ones