Prepping Starts in the Mind
New to prepping or an old pro at it the first rule of any prep is to prep your mind. You can have enough supplies stored to last you ten years but if you aren't mentally prepared you won't last to year one.
Most people have a preconceived idea of what a prepper is because of movies or t.v. shows. You have the prepper as a comedic tool or as the insane killer hell bent on taking out everyone and anyone that found them and their bunker. The truth of prepping is that it is as diverse a group as any other. You'll find the gun nut, the ultra-conservative Christian, short term emergency prepper, the Anti-Fa prepper, the off-grid survivalist and of course the liberal prepper.
No matter what kind you are you always want to start small and with preparing yourself to handle the fact that when you break out those supplies you are not breaking them out for a party or to show them off. You take the supplies out because something has happened and you must now be self sufficient.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Can I ration servings of food and water in a comfortable enough way that I won't send my body and mind into shock?
Am I and my family able to go 72 hours without electronic devices?
When times get tough do I have a spiritual or faith based belief that I can lean on?
Do I (or my family) have any vices that will make the situation harder once those items are cut off, e.g. tobacco products, alcohol, drugs, sugars or junk foods, etc ?
Surviving after an emergency often takes more physical exertion than many people are prepared for, would you be able to hack it?
How do I and my family deal with stress? How do we treat each other when we are all stressed?
These are just a few questions that can help you get started on mentally preparing yourself for an emergency. In places like Puerto Rico, Texas and California the situation of surviving was made even more difficult because whatever supplies people may have had stored were wiped out and the ability to not just survive with family members but neighbors and strangers in large gyms, stadiums, churches, etc. became the norm.
If you can't handle being stuck in your home with your family for 72 hours with rationed food and no electricity how do you think you would do if everything you had was swept away by water or fire AND you now had to wake up on a cot next to a stranger in a school gym and had no control of your situation outside of how you handle it?
This isn't a scenario a lot of people ever thought they would find themselves in but in just a few months thousands of people in several different locations woke up to exactly that. They may be out of the news now but that doesn't mean the situation has changed for many of these folks. Could you make it in there shoes?
Since the natural disasters mentioned people have not only faced crushing hunger, dehydration, loss of family and friends by the disaster but also people have taken their own lives. You may think they have over reacted but with the crushing weight of not getting cell reception or the driver in front going a little slow people have lost their heads and over reacted over a lot less.
If you aren't the type to have done such before then congratulations, you are in the minority but don't think that would count you out from those that would react with anger or hate if after two weeks in a mass living situation you thought someone was getting bigger rations than you or was allowed an extra blanket. A situation like that can take the calmest and most rational person and turn them into the raging Hulk.
Before storing cans of food or surplus water take a few hours or maybe a few days to really sit down and think about this. Get a pen and paper and write down various scenarios that you have either seen others have to go through or that you think you may encounter in an emergency situation. Include injuries most likely you or someone in your group can easily receive, type of location, are you able to get to your supplies in this scenario or were you caught off guard at work or on the highway?
You don't need a novel for each scenario, just bullet points. Save space in between each bullet for any thoughts you have or questions and make sure to write it down. It's better to answer questions now rather than later. Part of being able to mentally handle a situation is having the confidence that you have thought of the scenario and have worked out a rough plan of action. If you are caught off guard you'll be shaken and it will be harder for you to deal with the situation swiftly and efficiently.
You are getting ready for a marathon, not a sprint. No one goes into a marathon with only physical preparation so you shouldn't either.
-Bones!
https://www.minds.com/LeftOfCenterPrepping
