Most of us will experience stress and anxiety like we’ve never felt before during a SHTF experience, and for that reason a plan for stress management should surely be part of your preps. Many people will have a hard time coping mentally, and this can put you at a real disadvantage when everything could come down to a few key moments. Keeping yourself level headed and keeping stress hormones regulated is the best you can do, and something you should do. If your adrenaline and cortisol is at spiked levels non stop, that just isn’t good and it isn’t something you should have to endure.
Our Best Recommendation For Stress
The stress of a SHTF scenario will elevate your cortisol and adrenaline considerably. If these high levels persist for days or weeks, this could be very detrimental to your health. There is a natural herb you can take in capsule form called ashwaganda that specifically regulates and lowers cortisol and adrenaline in the body.
I actually take ashwaganda and I can vouch for its effectiveness. I take it a few hours before bed on the days I lift weights, which is typically once or twice a week. Cortisol is an antagonist to testosterone, meaning the higher the levels of cortisol in your blood the lower your testosterone will be. In taking the ashwaganda a few hours before bed my cortisol levels go down and my testosterone goes up while I’m sleeping which is when the muscle is really growing.
I’ve also taken it when I feel stressed out and I’ve noticed a real difference. Ashwaganda helps you feel level which in turn allows you to focus on any task at hand. I have a bottle ready for me in my preps and I will probably be taking it daily. You’d have to be missing a few screws upstairs to not have your cortisol spike constantly during a grid down scenario. This will be something everyone experiences.
Substances
If you like to blow off some steam by drinking a stiff drink or indulging in cannabis products, chances are almost certain that liquor stores and cannabis dispensaries will be closed and not available to you. If you are dependent on these substances, it might be a good idea to have a secret stash of these items to get you through. You will need to keep your wits about you at all times, so self medicating with alcohol or drugs would be very counterproductive. If being without your preferred substance brings on withdrawl symptoms that could be problematic though. From my understanding, if someone is a heavy alcohol drinker and they have to quit cold turkey, the detox is very serious and can be dangerous for the individual too. If you struggle with an alcohol problem,
I have a cigarette smoking habit, and if I had to go without cigarettes during a time as stressful as this I might snap. I had a pretty good idea that I’ve implemented that might help you as well. I typically smoke name brand, big tobacco cigarettes found at every gas station and convenience store, but during a grid down scenario all of these stores will be closed. For my preps I have bought loose cigarette tobacco and a carton worth of cigarette tubes and I will be rolling my own cigarettes since I probably won’t have an opportunity to buy any. Having a big bag of tobacco instead of store bought packs keeps me from dipping into my supply when I run out too. Having my cigarettes will make all of the difference as opposed to not having any cigarettes.
For Those Without Vices
If you don’t have vices that you depend on, you might be wondering what you can do to alleviate stress in a survival scenario. Deep breathing exercises have been shown to reduce adrenaline and cortisol and I’ve noticed that deep breathing definitely helps me when I’m in a stressful situation.
I don’t have much experience with meditation, but from what I’ve read, knowing how to meditate and putting it into practice should be very beneficial when it comes to alleviating stress. From what little I know, meditation requires great focus, and that might be difficult to achieve in a grid down scenario. For that reason, I won’t be relying on meditation per se, but if you have experience with it and can put it into practice it would be a good idea.
