Stress and Survival Stress is defined simply as ‘reaction to
pressure’. Unexpected or unanticipated events, or overload
situations that develop can put a strain on our ability to cope
and make us feel out of control. It is this feeling of not being
in charge of a particular situation that we label as stress.
Stressors are events that cause stress. The most common to
survival include heat, cold, thirst, hunger, fatigue, isolation,
fear, uncertainty, lack of control, injury, illness and death.
REACTIONS TO STRESS While a survival situation will be a
traumatic experience for most people, the effect it will have
will depend on circumstance. For instance a person suffering a
vehicle breakdown in spring in the northeast U.S. will have a
different reaction to a person who suffers a similar breakdown
in mid-summer in the Mojave Desert of southeast California.
There are natural reactions to stress that need to be recognized
and expected, for which strategic interventions need to be
implemented. Signs that indicate str