Being able to think your way through a situation is a very valuable and potent weapon.

Lack of that ability will mean you waste a lot of time, make bad choices and possibly put yourself in a situation you cannot recover from; here are some tools to help you.

• Learn how not to feel sorry for yourself. Author Laurence Gonzales, who studied the attributes of disaster survivors, found that they tended not to see themselves as victims and didn’t complain about the bad things that were happening to them. In a Psychology Today article, Russell Grieger suggests this exercise: Think of three circumstances in life that interfere with your happiness, and make a list of what you could do to eliminate or at least reduce them. Then commit to doing at least two of the things on the list. That effort will help you to establish a pattern of taking responsibility for yourself, rather than blaming things on the actions of others or bad luck.

• Learn to S.T.O.P. You’re more likely to make it through a difficult situation if you have a methodical plan, as opposed to just thrashing around in a panic. Hunting and outdoor safety experts recommend an easy to remember system. Stop when you realize that you have a problem. Think about what you need to do to make it to safety. Observe the area, and look for resources that will help you to survive. Plan how you’re going to use your resources.

These two skills are the basis of being able to formulate a strategy and the tactics necessary to get yourself out of a desperate situation.

When you add them to your overall survival skill set, you give yourself an immense edge over someone who has not – thinking your way through, nimbly, helps you use those skills and resources to their most optimum.

To learn more about tools you can use mentally to help you make it through a survival situation, please visit National Geographic.