Sure, you read survival and SHTF blogs, you own some guns and stock some food, but WTSHTF and the whole world goes to hell – are you going to stay calm or freak right out? When critical decisions need to be made in short time – can you make those choices with sound mind?
The answer may not be clear until you’re in that situation, but there are ways to help ensure your mind will be ready.
P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E
I’m not saying you need to be a star on Discovery Channel’s The Colony “reality” show wondering how to best use rotting pigs. Nor am I saying you need to adjust your diet to eating bark and going without a shower for 7 months. No, but there are simple activities you can do, like the guest post at Bison Survival Blog where a guy speaks of his bug out practice run.
Here are a few ways you can keep your SHTF skills sharp:
- make meals with more primitive cooking methods once in a while – experiment
- repair your own vehicles if you can, challenge yourself
- read survival books, sites like this one and others
- go hunting and fishing
- practice different gardening techniques, learn how to save seeds
- try to visit the shooting range once a month, do it with family and friends
- learn about wild edible plants and go foraging
- go hiking and venture off the path with map and compass
Notice that all of these ideas will not only help keep your skills sharp, but they can also keep you active AND be fun. Survival skills, when done right, should become part of your lifestyle for maximum effectiveness. Simple living is what I’m saying – and research indicates it will make you more happy. See – and you only thought I brought the gloom – and the doom.
Growing potatoes won’t help you make split-second life-in-danger decisions, however. Those skills also require practice, test runs and re-enactment. This can be done by taking survival courses, firearms training classes, etc. Witness this video where a female firearms instructor teaches other women with just that method:
Remember – practice makes perfect.
– Ranger Man
BTW: You’ll notice that the site’s header image has changed ever so slightly. The font and text is a bit different. SHTF blog updates will now be Monday through Friday rather than Monday through Saturday. I need the weekends to generate material for the week (and to otherwise have a life outside non-stop TEOTWAWKI delivering WTSHTF writing). Posts get scheduled for 6am EST.
Also, thanks much to Safe Castle, SHTF blog’s new advertiser. Check their site out – lots of fair priced survival gear.
Thanks again to those readers using the Amazon search link in the sidebar for whatever Amazon shopping you’re doing. It’s an easy way to show me you care (and help fund my own preps).
3 comments
Someone has to be first. LOL. Good reminder that prepping doesn’t just mean the physical things that you are collecting. It also means the things you are doing and the knowledge you are gathering. Growing up and living in Northern Maine, as you well know, allows me to do many of those things you mentioned on the list you posted, i.e. hunt, fish, forage, practice shooting, canoeing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing (alternative forms of transportation). I gotta get the biking thing done a bit more. A benefit of these last few things is that it serves 3 purposes. Other than the exercise and the practice of the transportation form (kinda like driver’s ed.), it also allows you the opportunity to explore and find more forage locations, supply locations (specific types of tree, rock, etc.), and hide out places in case you are trying to hid from the Commies when they invade. LOL!
Almost forgot to mention. I’ve been watching “The Colony” lately. Good show. Who knew you could make biodiesal from animal fat…
Practice is also important as it pertains to first aid. It’s fine to read up on it but I suggest practice with things like assessing the patient, etc. As a former EMT I can’t tell you how many times I would have completely frozen on calls if it weren’t for the step-by-step process I had practiced over and over.