Z-Day has come and you find yourself barricaded in a location that renders you “safe” for the time being. You are alone. You have had to abandon or even kill someone close to you to prevent them from mauling you. You try the tube. Static. You try the radio, with the same result. The feelings of panic and frustration well up inside of you, and you toss the radio in a fit of rage. You calm down just in time to realize the sound of moaning over the static from the television. You peer out your window to realize you are severely outnumbered and surrounded by horrible looking monsters. Your only weapon, a small handgun, holds enough ammo for less than a dozen of them. However, it seems to be an acceptable choice for another way out of the situation you are in. How did it come to this?
How can I avoid this?
A more important question to ask yourself is how can I avoid this? It’s quite simple actually, but the loss of hope can prove disastrous to your survival efforts should your situation become as grim as the aforementioned scenario. As the feelings of hopelessness and complete isolation intensify the chances of you being able to cope with them decrease. There are measures that can be taken to increase your ability to cope with a zombie invasion, or any disaster for that matter.
Ignorance & Distraction
For one thing, earplugs can provide you a release from the ever present drone of the zombie moan. While not the best use of resources, a CD-player or your MP3 player can even provide a favorite song that may ease your nerves a bit. However, you could probably put those batteries to better use. A deck of cards gives you something for your hands to play with while you think, which makes sure you aren’t too idle. A book can take your mind off the situation to some extent, and keep your mind going. Reading enough may even help you get to sleep, if you have the light to read by. A notebook and a pen can prove to be a double edged sword, depending on what goes on the paper. Recording your thoughts would likely improve the situation, but writing some pessimistic or gloomy thoughts will not go far towards improving your mood.
Whatever you choose to do, keep yourself busy. Keeping your mind on things that need to be done keeps your mind off of the extreme danger and the feelings of isolation and weakness. It also keeps your safe-haven well maintained, and even improved. Work on something long enough, and it can become part of a plan for escape or possibly even killing a large amount of zombies.
Positive Thinking, Positive Results
Perhaps your greatest ally in the fight for maintaining spirit is optimism. Looking at the bright side of things, no matter how grim the situation, can keep you from cracking long after you may have with a bad attitude. Even if it doesn’t do that much, it will still stop you from the dangers of thinking negatively.
Thinking on how you can improve your situation can only do good things for you. It allows you to focus on how to deal with the situation rather than thinking about how hopeless it may be. Developing a plan allows you the opportunity to make goals for yourself, helps you find something that needs to be done around the house, and could ultimately save your life. Being an objective thinker is an excellent way to improve your mood and to open windows towards a solution.
Avoid Mind-/Mood-Altering Substances
A major thing you should avoid is alcohol. Avoid alcohol at all costs in an ominous environment, especially if you are depressed. Alcohol is a depressant, it slows down your heartbeat, and when enough of it is consumed, will compound your depression. Also, it goes without saying that the use of alcohol will severely impair your judgment and makes for poor decision making.
Your mental stature is arguably the most important aspect towards surviving. Being gloomy and depressed can prove deadly in many cases. Keeping positive and keeping busy can’t do any harm towards surviving. If the right steps are taken, you can avoid being negative and keep optimistic through threatening and hopeless situations. Knowing how to think in an emergency can prove imperative to survival.
