Step 2 of 4•7 minutes read
Relieve Acute Stress
To be able to act professionally in an emergency, it is important to relieve the acute stress that affects everyone to a greater or lesser extent. To relieve acute stress you need to accept your own and others' symptoms of acute stress. Pay attention to what has happened and what must be done. You need to have a positive attitude, i.e. trust that you, together with other crew members will be able to handle the situation in a good way. Systematically perform the acts taught during training and drills. If your general health and physical condition are good, you have a better chance to manage acute stress, especially if the incident is prolonged. Try to rest and save energy if possible.
A certain level of tension is required in order for the performance to be good. If the acute stress increases above a certain level, a breaking point is passed and the performance decreases significantly. The breaking point depends on every individual. The most important thing is that through practice, the breaking point can be removed, i.e. to become increasingly stress-resistant.
The Right Skills
A good basic sense of security makes a difficult situation not to be seen as intimidating and stressful. A good way to relieve acute stress is to be well prepared and of course, possess the right skills, i.e. the ability to act correctly in a specific situation.
Training and practice are of the utmost importance in order to achieve the right skills and thus increased stress resistance. This can be obtained in many demanding professions, for instance, police, emergency services, doctors and military officers. In sports and athletics, high-stress resistance is critical for success.
For the Crew to Know:
Your safety number on the muster list indicates your role in the safety organisation and the duties you have in an emergency.
An important part of being successful in handling an emergency is to follow the established plans and procedures. Photo: Viking Line
Well-Designed Drills
An important part of being successful in handling an emergency is to follow the established plans and procedures. These should be regularly practised for skills to be maintained. Well-defined routines allow more people to be familiar with the detailed steps and to be able to supervise persons carrying out these correctly.
Drills should be as realistic as possible in order to increase stress resistance. The difficulty level should be increased gradually when the students have mastered a certain level. Repetition creates confidence and the sense of following a "natural level" of how the emergency is handled in the best way. Well-designed drills train the trust between participants and strengthen the understanding of who does what. Hopefully, you take the drills seriously!
Good Cooperation
Cooperation is imperative for resolving a difficult situation. A single person, no matter how skilled, can only carry out a limited amount. Experience in emergencies shows that acute stress is relieved if people can work together and act as a team. That allocates responsibilities, and the individual only needs to deal with a limited part instead of a chaotic whole. Therefore, the ability to delegate is very important for senior officers.
To lead by example is also essential, i.e:
- To be knowledgeable and take responsibility, not least for senior officers, otherwise, the confidence of the subordinate staff is reduced.
- Being able to remain calm and friendly makes it easier to collaborate even in stressful situations.
- A certain amount of humour can lighten the mood and reduce acute stress.
Are You A Team Player?
The overall performance is largely determined by the ability to cooperate. Are you a "team player" who can work with others?... What can you do to become a better team player?...