I have such respect for the brave souls who willingly undergo survival training. With little or zero resources other than mind and body, they get dropped off in the middle of a primitive jungle or hostile wilderness and must confront an extreme challenge that tests them to the limits of human endurance. They have one goal: To make it through to safety – alone.
Could I do that? Would I be able to make it?
The time had come to find out. This was the beginning of my own survival training. Not something I signed up for but something I had to face. I found myself dropped off in a hostile wilderness and had no Idea what to do.
The free-fall was just that – a fall. But landing in an upside-down world created its own version of disorientation and anxiety – one that felt like insanity.
Under extreme conditions, the brain protects the body by going into shock. But eventually this protective mechanism wears off. What happens then? Reality hits. And hits hard.
At the Time:
I had no idea what I was doing and operated on some kind of subconscious autopilot, which provided me with just enough energy to take whatever minuscule step came next.
What I’ve Learned Since:
I’ve learned to give myself credit for getting through this part of my grief journey. I don’t know what wilderness survival training is like, but what I endured was by far the most difficult period of my life, and I made it through. As human beings, we can overcome far more than we think we can. We can make it through.