I get a lot of question about both my sanity and my plan from my non-prepper friends. Some think this is a fad like my computer gaming fad or my sports car fad, but I truly think those other moments were me distracting myself from what I know is coming to our shores. Escapes from the reality of a bigger than me problem. I truly believe it's a matter of when, not a matter of if the Proverbial Stuff Hits the Fan (SHTF).
So the question I always ask them in return when they question my mental state is "What if you are right and I am wrong?" "What have I "lost" by having extra food and ammo in my basement?"
I get the usual of money allocation to 401Ks and planning for retirement and family vacations etc etc etc. I typically respond with I am still doing those things as well, but I also have a budget for buying supplies for the SHTF situation. Should things go bad, a 401K is not going to do me much good, should things not go bad, I can still eat the food in my basement.
This usually leads to a discussion about starting to prep which leads to a "what do I buy first" kind of discussion. Do I start buying food, water? Solar Panels? Mountain houses? Where???
There is a lot of information out there on the "hows" and such of prepping, but I haven't come across a road map per se that fits what I believe to be three most important aspects of prepping. In my estimation the three crucial to survival in any worst case scenario are Mental Prepping (This article), Physical Prepping (next week's blog) and Stockpiling (the final blog in this series).
What is Mental Prepping?
First, you need to be mentally prepared for the scenario you are facing. That means simply getting your mind ready and adjusted quickly to acclimate to the problem you are facing. High stress, fatigue, fear, and the unknown will kill more people that water shortages or gun fire in a breakdown scenario. Knowing what to do and being mentally prepared to do it can and will save your life. This is the easiest of the three for me. I am a little off kilter anyways so mental prepping is something I am continually doing.
Look at all the scenarios that could cause catastrophic meltdown of society and you see one underlying problem, we build our sense of security on the punishment of crime versus the prevention of crime. What if citizens took their own lives, safety and security into their own hands and looked only to themselves to solve problems and end bad situations? What if there were no police to call or groceries to visit? This is what would happen in a meltdown situation.
We need to be mentally prepared to take matters into our own hands and protect what is ours. We need to be mentally prepared to walk home from work quickly and efficiently without knowing your family is safe in the case of a grid down or EMP situation. This type of mental preparation will save your life.
How do we do this? Look for situations and ask yourself WWID (what would I do) if something bad happened right now. Think like a truly evil and vile person trying to harm you and your family and run the scenarios thru your mind and come up with multiple plans to handle those situation.
I will give you one for free.
Think about a home invasion scenario where you are sitting on the couch and 3 large men come crashing thru your door. What is the first thing you do? Do you run? Do you try to get the phone and call 911?
Quickly now! You only have 7 seconds between life and death. Ask yourself: WWID?
Don't think that is a realistic scenario in your neighborhood? Ask Pam Williams about that… http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/24150030/community-seeks-clues-in-fatal-home-invasion#axzz2pWUhvorb
Mental prepping simply involves getting ready and planning for the worst case scenarios. Tough decisions and actions will be required of you if you want to survive.
Here is today's homework:
- Make a list of 5 realistic real life situations that you can do something about. Zombies and nuclear bombs on your home town are not what I would start with but it's your plan.
- Brainstorm 5 ways to handle each situation from full on assault planning to running for your life.
- Revisit best/worst case scenarios for your 5 solutions (everything from "winning the life lottery" to ending up in the news as a statistic)
- Make a plan to practice the scenarios mentally often (I run worst case scenarios all the time, matter of fact I just did a home invasion one while I was typing this)
- Do something to eliminate or reduce the ending up dead part for your family. Having a plan GREATLY reduces the ending up a statistic part of the equation.
The bad guys have a plan for you. What is your plan for them?
