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" \n You don&amp;#039;t need us to tell you that shit happens. And while it&amp;#039;s unlikely you&amp;#039;ll ever be in a fatal plane crash (chances are 1 in 11 million), you could very well be faced with some sort of disastrous situation at one point in your life. (Don&amp;#039;t believe it? Last year saw some of the highest numbers of natural disasters in the U.S., and more than 25,000 people were injured by fires.) But Ben Sherwood, who interviewed survivors and top experts and underwent intense survival training himself, says there are simple things you can do to increase your chances. Read on for life-extending advice that will turn you into the kind of chick who can survive anything. Here&amp;#039;s hoping this info never comes in handy.   Fight the Freeze  When people find themselves face-to-face with a catastrophe, be it a fire in a movie theater or a sinking cruise ship, the most common response is to think Something like this could never happen to me. &amp;quot;People just don&amp;#039;t believe it,&amp;quot; says Sherwood. &amp;quot;The phenomenon, dubbed the incredulity response by survival expert John Leach, PhD, occurs when someone confronted with disaster loses his or her ability to make choices.&amp;quot; Your brain just can&amp;#039;t process what&amp;#039;s going on, and it freezes up, leaving your body without instructions. So instead of fleeing, calling 911, or jumping to action, people often turn into statues, walk in circles, or carry on as if nothing is wrong.   If you do suffer a brain freeze when disaster strikes, psychologists recommend talking aloud about everything you sense \u2014 what you see, hear, smell, etc. This play-by-play (e.g., &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s smoke coming in under the door, and I smell something burning&amp;quot;) is usually enough to jump-start your mind and get you into a reactive state.   Prepare for the Worst   As you go about your daily life, make the unthinkable thinkable. When you sit down on a plane, resist the urge to zone out, and actually read the instructions in the seat pocket in front of you. Upon arriving at a restaurant, bar, concert, or hotel, look for the closest exit. The flight-safety card, the glowing red sign \u2014 these things are there for a reason. Take it a step further and plot your escape path (and a backup plan) in the event of a worst-case scenario. Yeah, it sounds morbid, but Sherwood says this kind of preplanning ups your chances of survival. That doesn&amp;#039;t mean every plan will work. But even if it falls through, your head will be clearer and allow you to come up with a backup strategy on the spot.     Don&amp;#039;t Rely on Hope Alone...   Some people remain unfailingly optimistic in even the most dire situations. This may sound like a blessing, but experts say that thinking can be dangerous. If you&amp;#039;re hiking with friends and get separated from them, it&amp;#039;s tempting to think Oh, they&amp;#039;re sure to find me by the end of the day. But Sherwood says once that expectation isn&amp;#039;t met \u2014 and you&amp;#039;re left alone in the wilderness overnight \u2014 the disappointment can be devastating, even life-threatening. Plus, relying on anything else \u2014 a search-and-rescue team, a higher power, whatever \u2014 means you won&amp;#039;t look for ways to save yourself.   ...But Don&amp;#039;t Lose All Hope   Too much optimism can be detrimental, but it&amp;#039;s just as important never to give up. Once you stop believing you&amp;#039;ll make it out alive, Sherwood says, you&amp;#039;re headed for trouble. The trick is finding the perfect balance between hopefulness and realism to maintain a productive sense of purpose. He cites the story of a man who nearly drowned after he fell off a cruise ship but struggled to stay above the surface because he knew if he could just survive the night, he&amp;#039;d find a way to live through the ordeal. Sherwood suggests maintaining a positive outlook but not putting a time line on it. That way, you will keep fighting and aren&amp;#039;t setting yourself up for disappointment.   Learn the Magic Number   The U.S. Air Force teaches trainees this number to make sure they keep their priorities straight. Knowing how long you can live without each of these things gives you a to-do list when faced with disaster. Remembering this info will help you make quick decisions and could ultimately get you out of a jam.   You can only survive about...  3 minutes without air.  3 hours without shelter in extreme conditions.  3 days without water.  3 weeks without food.  3 months without companionship or love.  Take this quiz, adapted from Ben Sherwood&amp;#039;s site, thesurvivorsclub.org, to find out what kind of survivor you are.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/advice/a3454/how-to-survive-a-disaster-0509/>