Originally Posted By: Mark_Frantom
Glad DW is a Social Worker. I can handle the survival stuff and she can handle the hysterical antics of those around us.

This does raise an important point though. Mental preparedness is as important as the physical preparedness and having the right gear on hand. What good are all your other preps if you are one of the ones who break down in the aftermath.

Don't discount it. Put yourself in a situation where your significant other, children, parents and/or a lot of other family members have died. Add to that your home has been destroyed. Add to that you are badly injured yourself. Add to that ...

It is easy for us to assume in the aftermath of a disaster we will be the ones who rise from the rubble with our caches of gear and our wealth of knowledge. Put the other shoe on and it changes things drastically.


Mental preparedness and mental toughness are good in the abstract but I have profound doubts as to how anyone, short of long term psychoanalysis and gaining a very deep understanding of their own mental landscape so they can avoid getting blind-sided, can improve their preparedness in this area.

Many of those I've met who are most concerned about it often have, IMHO, a deep and abiding need to be worried. I'm not referencing anyone here on this forum.

I do think there are ways to mentally buffer shocks. Feeling well supported and secure helps. Things that help include: having someone you can talk to without fear of scaring them off, friends and family who accept you for who you are (warts and all), a history of loving and being loved, an established roll in life that gives you a feeling of being needed, and, last but not least, a highly developed sense of humor. All of them seem to act as psychological seat belts. They won't stop all damage but they bolster resilience and seem to allow people to recover more quickly when/if they do lose it.