Main causes of stress

Some of the main causes of stress can turn into stressors that will have effects that will escalate the situation over time. Some of them will happen right away and others will show their ugly face after a day or two. Learn what they are now so you can be prepared to deal with them when they show up.

Pretty much any circumstance can lead to stress and more than likely you will have more than one circumstance going on at the same time. Now everyone of these circumstances is not actually stress, but rather an instance that causes stress. These instances are called “stressors”. Stress is the response to the “stressor”.

When that happens, the body will react in a couple of different ways. The first thing it will do is increase your adrenaline and other psychological mechanisms to fight the stress and try to stay in control. Your muscles will tense up, your breathing will pick up, the heart rate picks up and a few other things that you have probably experienced already. All of this is a normal reaction and the body is just trying to protect itself.

Once the stress goes away then things return back to normal.

If the main causes of stress aren't removed then the body will go into a second stage of protection. It will put out more hormones to increase your sugar level to sustain energy and blood pressure. This is the stage when you need to take breaks to deal with it. If you don't, it will lead to the third and final stage, exhaustion.

This stage is when the body runs out of the reserves it had built up to protect itself. Now is when you are the most vulnerable. Exhaustion will lead to collapse and more importantly illness. Now you just put yourself into another stress situation and the body has nothing left to fight it.

To fight all the main causes of stress you will need to make sure you take breaks, a lot of them if the stress is high, which it will be the first few days. Get a handle on the situation right away and deal with it calmly. Look at it as a challenge and not a problem. Remember, the more you fight it, the worse it will get.

Now let's take a look at some of the main causes of stress in a survival situation.

Loneliness:
One of the main causes o stress that will hit you first is Loneliness. Maintaining a positive mental attitude is key when it comes to this. When you realize that you are the only one that you can depend on and no one else, it is very tempting to just sit down and give up. You can't if you want to live. Society these days has taught to many people to depend on others to help them accomplish their goals. You won't have that in a situation like this. Stay busy, it is the best way to fight loneliness. Get your mind off of it.

Sing, dance, run around naked, do something, just stay busy. Actually now is the time to sit down and look at your situation and make some decisions.

Injury, Illness and Death:
You will have to deal with Injury, Illness or Death. These are real possibilities that you very well may have to face. Hopefully not, but be prepared. Having either one of these present will add a great deal of stress. Injuries will hamper the ability to do mundane tasks that will need to be done, as will illness. Tasks like building your shelter, starting a fire, gathering fire wood all become a lot more difficult when you have to deal with these. You will have to figure out some way to do these with the limitations that you have.

Lack of Control:
The lack of control or uncertainty of what is going on will drive some people nuts. People that need to have things in a precise order every day will have a difficult time dealing with this. The only guarantee in a wilderness survival situation is that there are no guarantees.

Food and Water:
Another of the main causes of stress is food and water. A big one.Without these you will eventually weaken and die. I know it not a pretty thought but it is something that you will have to deal with. The longer you are in a survival situation, the more important these items will get. If you see yourself not being rescued soon then this will need to be a major thing to take care of right away. Find food and water sources before you set up your shelter unless you need to protect yourself from the elements first.

Wilderness survival tip:
The less energy you have to spend to get your food and water, the lower the stress level. That is why you will want to find a spot to set up camp near these resources first if at all possible.

The Environment:
Another of the main causes of stress that can be very demanding is Mother Nature.Mother Nature can be sweet and serene on the outside but underneath she can be very ugly. You will have to deal with weather, terrain and critters living in the same area you are. Heat, cold, rain and snow are just a couple of things that will come your way. Depending on how you handle all these, you can either gain from them, collecting food, water and shelter, or you can let it hurt you, which will lead to injury, illness or possibly even death.

Fatigue:
With all the work it takes just too stay alive in the wilderness, especially in survival mode, it is very easy to get worn out. You have to find and gather food, water and firewood constantly. Plus you need to be planning your next move, are you staying where you are?, can you be found better in a different location?. Questions like that will need to be answered all the time. You will probably get worn out mentally quicker than physically. Remember, take short breaks now and again.

Wilderness survival tip:
Once you catch a meal, don't just sit down and do nothing until you get hungry again, keep your eye out for the next meal right away.

Isolation:
The feeling of isolation is going to be more prevalent after the first couple of days alone. Loneliness will come first and then isolation. Everyone thinks, including myself, that a few days alone would be wonderful. That may be the case but things change after a day of dealing with all the things thrown at you in a survival atmosphere. There is so much to deal with that you will feel totally and completely alone.

I am not saying this to scare you, just to prepare you for what will most likely happen. It is better to know the main causes of stress now so you can prepare yourself, rather than having it happen and not knowing what to do.

This is also a perfect time for that picture or that specific item that you brought, to come out of your pack. Remember exactly why it is that you want to live. Also remember, the rest of us backpacker's are with you in spirit, don't you dare give up on us.

It is better to know the main causes of stress now and be prepared for them before they hit you, than it is to have to deal with them if a survival situation actually happens. Hopefully not.

Next we are going to look at some of the normal reactions to stress in a survival situation.

Next: Dealing with Emotional Stress

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