This is probably one of the worst-case scenarios for a survival situation: Not only are you isolated from the rest of civilization, your survival depends on everything you do, which means no splitting work. The shelter, fire, food, everything, has to come from you.
And that’s just from the physical and body health side of things. Because when you get right down to it, in a situation such as this, your biggest challenge will be yourself.
Or more specifically, your mind.
You can have the best shelter, all the food in the world, and as much safety as you can possibly have while waiting for outside help.
But none of this will matter if your mind plunges off into the deep end, and you go insane.
With all that said, it is important to find different ways to keep your mind afloat especially when you have to deal with being isolated for an extreme period of time.
This article will examine different ways you can help keep your mind chugging along for the many long and arduous days to come.
Meditate and Contemplate
When Ed Stafford was interviewed about his 60-day stay on a deserted island, his top survival tip that he gave to others was to retreat to a safe space for a while. Ed did this by creating a small circle out of stones.
His idea was very much like meditation, to let go of life and your thoughts at the moment and to just remain still while inside.
Religious people may see this situation as a type of test meant to strengthen their resolve. Praying while also meditating will help keep your will afloat.
Humanize an object
In the movie Cast Away, Chuck is the lone survivor of a plane crash over at the pacific. For the 4 years that he stayed on the island, his only “companion” was a volleyball with a bloody handprint, which was drawn on to resemble a face.
He named this volleyball “Wilson,” and constantly talked to it, having full-blown arguments with it, despite it being unable to respond, and even being devastated when he kicks it out of his cave out of rage as well as when he loses him to the water during his escape.
It was like he was dealing with a full-blown human, despite it being an inanimate object.
Now, this scenario might seem funny, but think about how it would be like to be stuck somewhere alone involuntarily with no one to talk to for years.
Your imagination is the only tool you have in these situations, and when stuck on an isolated place long enough, you start to humanize practically anything that resembles a face.
Over time, you may even build rapport with it. It seems unreasonable right now, but if you ever find yourself alone in such a situation, it may be the difference between staying sane and going insane.
Talk to anything that isn’t yourself to help stimulate your mind and reduce atrophy. For instance, mountain climbers may talk to the mountain they are climbing.
If Chuck didn’t have Wilson with him, he may have just full-on gone insane.
Find a pet
You are likely not going to be finding any dogs or cats in a deserted island but when you are in a desperate situation like this, you can’t exactly be fussy about your company.
Pick a creature, any creature!
As long as it is alive and moving, that should be more than enough to help keep you company. From the fishes in the shallow depths of the water, to the crabs by the beach, any creature can work. Heck, if you aren’t afraid of insects (Not like you have much choice….), you might be able to find some interesting beetles in the forested part of your island.
They will not be as fluffy as a house Shih Tzu, but at least you have someone to spend your time with. Hermit crabs are quite the interesting creatures on their own right…
Obviously though, you can’t become friends with a predator, so try to keep your excitement levels in check if you don’t want to accidentally become animal chow.
Find Things to do
Keep yourself busy as much as you can. It does not have to primarily be about work and survival either.
You can try experimenting with building tiny little buildings for the tiny local population of shellfish, or logging in natural observations about the island. Is it rainy? How many birds visit per day? There is a lot of ground you can cover here.
Anything works if it helps you pass the time, what’s important is that you keep giving yourself things to do, and you’d be surprised by how much you can do when you try to think about what you should do next, especially when you have all the materials you need on the island.
Wrapping Up
In any situation, survival or not, your mental health is something that you should never take for granted.
Your body’s physical needs can be taken care of with a bit of legwork and survival knowledge, but your mind is a different matter.
It needs to be kept proper and working if you want everything you have made so far to survive to actually keep you alive for when help finally comes.
Utilizing your imagination and different creative endeavors can help in that regard.