My friend, Al Siebert is an expert on survival skills and resiliency. I think this is superior advice to living in these changing times. Consider visiting Dr. Al's web site for more useful information about surviving the challenges life brings us. The Antidote to Fears of Terrorist Attacks: Survivor Personality Skills by Al Siebert, Ph.D.

Some people handle dangerous situations better than others. People with survivor personality skills are cautious without being fearful, vigilant without being anxious, and anticipate danger without worrying. Here are the core skills that reduce your chances of getting caught in terrorist acts and let you feel confident that you can cope with dangerous situations if they occur:

In potentially dangerous situations,

• Be curious. Stop your inner mental chatter, be curious about what is going on around you. Be very "present."
• Empathize. Observe others in a quiet, non-judgmental way. Ask yourself "What is it like to be them? What is their energy like? Are they tense or anxious?"
• Use intuition, monitor your feelings. Take advantage of your capacity for subliminal perception. Ask yourself, "Is my body trying to alert me to something?"
• Adapt quickly. Be very flexible. The most important skill for surviving is the ability to adapt quickly to unexpected developments. Be quick to stop your planned actions and do something different.
• Be playful. Ask yourself "What is amusing about this?" Laughing reduces tension, improves your problem solving skills, and increases your ability to take effective action.
• Anticipate problems with optimism. Look at the bad things that could happen in order to avoid them or to handle them if they do occur. Anticipating problems is not the same as worrying. Life's best survivors think in both optimistic and pessimistic ways.

If you are caught in a dangerous situation,

• Calm yourself. Telling yourself to "relax" or "stay calm" is a valuable survivor reflex.
• Rapidly read the new reality. Quickly size up what is happening. Focus on what others are doing.
• Focus on the problem, not your distress. People who focus on coping with the problem at hand are more resilient than those who become emotional and have a victim reaction.
• Be self-reliant. If no one in authority is telling people what to do, figure out your best course of action and take it. Don't feel helpless.

You increase your ability to survive future dangerous situations when you, Learn good lessons from bad experiences. When you learn valuable lessons in the school of life, you get better and better at handling difficulties, increase your self-confidence, and avoid becoming a helpless victim when others try to harm you.

• Overcome the "good child" handicap. Like and appreciate yourself. A strong, positive identity makes you less vulnerable to dangerous people.
• Enjoy your life. Frequent positive feelings of enjoyment, appreciation, affection and satisfaction will strengthen you and expand your mental abilities for dealing with threats.
• Find the gifts. Ask "What is positive about what is happening? What are some benefits from all of this?"
• Become highly resilient. Bounce back from setbacks. Need and expect things to work out well. Ask "How can I interact with this so that things turn out well for everyone?"

Al Siebert, Ph.D., is author of The Survivor Personality and Director of The Resiliency Center. Read his complete "Antidote" article at: www.SurvivorGuidelines.org.

© 2001, Al Siebert, Ph.D.