7 Staggering Facts To Kickstart Your Resolve and Survival Mindset

Introduction

We all know, that in this life, bad things will happen. In a desperate situation, fear occurs, leading to panic and anger. Persistent negative thoughts and emotions will cause many to lose hope and adopt a victim mentality instead of a needed survival mindset; impacting their physical and mental health, and, ultimately, their ability to survive.

Preparation crushes fear, inspires confidence, and enables maintaining a positive attitude, Yet when times seem good, it’s tempting to ignore lurking risks and delay dialing in the grit and mental toughness needed to be able to remain calm, focus, adapt, and deal with any situation.

We all have been complacent and just go through the motions of everyday life. Get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, and go to bed. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Satisfied to stay in our comfort zone. I certainly did but that was before I got a wake-up call during the COVID-19 mess.

Present and potential dangers are all around us. Yet simple, proven preparations empower self-reliance and survival no matter what happens. Read on to learn key action steps and essential supplies—water, food, communications, lighting, first aid, and more—that build resilience and virtually guarantee endurance through any traumatic event.

TL;DR – Main Takeaways

• Most people are ill-prepared to survive 72+ hours during a traumatic event without outside aid

• Survival mindset blends self-reliance, adaptability under uncertainty, proactive precautions

• Assess deficiencies with disaster readiness checklists and planning quizzes

• Stockpile bare minimum provisions for water, calories, light, communication, cash

• Learn fundamental skills like first aid, navigation sans GPS, securing water access

• Join community emergency preparation groups to expand the capacities

What is the Survival Mindset?

The survival mindset is all about embracing self-reliance, adaptability, and resolute perseverance when facing adversity or uncertain conditions out of one’s control.

It starts with honestly confronting the risks you’re likely to experience based on where you live, from natural disasters to infrastructure collapse. Next, it cultivates grit – the determination to be proactive in securing basic provisions and training skills needed if modern conveniences disappear overnight.

The survival mindset isn’t about acting paranoid or behaving like Chicken Little. Rather, it simply involves taking reasonable, modest precautions today to ensure you can safely supply your family’s fundamental needs independently when a crisis disrupts normalcy.

When hardship inevitably strikes someone or somewhere nearby, some will needlessly suffer, while others who have a survival mindset coupled with prudent action will survive and thrive. Let’s look at how to get there!

Honestly Assess Your Readiness Gaps & Vulnerabilities

Confronting the frailty of protection and preparation crushes complacency. Painful honesty is a catalyst for a shift in mindset, and behavior and demands action to correct weak points. Numerous checklists exist like FEMA’s sample household emergency plan which measures current stocks of water, medications, and backup power sources.

Also, consider location risks — does frequent earthquakes or flooding necessitate special preparations not addressed? During your assessment, seek to unmask further weak spots across health safety, home hardening steps, established communication and rendezvous protocols, evacuation route planning, and more.

Stock Up on Must-Have Emergency Supplies

Disasters can overwhelm emergency responders. When a crisis happens, stores and aid depots often get emptied fast by many people needing help at once. So, having your own supplies for 72 hours or more will reduce dependence on limited help and ease hardship if catastrophe strikes your community. Preparing emergency gear and supplies lessens anxiety when devastating events occur.

Stockpile minimums: per person – 3 gallons of water, 2000 calorie non-perishable foods, flashlights or light sticks, AM/FM radio, backup battery bank, and first aid items. Have a basic tool kit that includes things like a multi-tool, duct tape, plastic sheeting, rope/paracord, toiletries, and clothing changes.

Obtain 30 days of prescription medications if possible. Save cash in small denominations. Crucially, fine-tune preparations based on likely regional threats/challenges unique to your area.

Household Go-Bags & Evacuation Planning

Bug out bags prepacked with survival provisions buy invaluable time when you are forced to urgently leave with minutes to get out of dodge. Tailor each family member’s go-bag with essentials lasting 72+ hours around shelter, water, calories, tools, etc.

Staged near exits, rapid access means not wasting precious moments haphazardly hurling random items together as danger closes in.

Print copies of ID cards, insurance policies, and emergency contacts for the bags and include index card notes of rally locations for unplanned separation scenarios. Mark emergency exits clearly throughout living areas and ensure family members understand which are likely usable based on threats like fire structural damage versus floodwaters. Rehearse timed race-condition drills shouldering fully weighted bags for realism. Update contents seasonally as needs evolve.

Basic Household Go Bag Checklist

• Water – 1 gallon per person for 3 days (replace/swap every 6 months)

• Food – 3-day supply of light non-perishables like protein bars, dried fruit, nuts, jerky

• Basic first aid supplies – Tensor wrap bandages, OTC meds, alcohol wipes, medical gloves

• AM/FM Radio + extra batteries/crank charger

• LED Flashlight or headlamp + extra batteries (lithium batteries have a 10+ year shelf life)

• Lighter, waterproof strikes, fire starter cubes

• Multi-tool or Swiss army knife

• Emergency reflective blanket + hand/foot warmers

• Cash in small bills + coins

• Printed personal ID card & documents in waterproof bag

• Notepad & pen/pencil

• Prescription medications or glasses/contacts

• Season-appropriate clothing and footwear changes

Evacuation Plan Steps

Locate the nearest internal safe zone in your home away from exterior walls and power lines; fortify with emergency tools if sheltering. For bugging out:

1. Confirm viable evacuation route exit depending on the disaster context

2. Sound alert triggering family assembly in the main living area

3. Grab go bags and essential irreplaceable items within arm’s reach

4. Shut off utilities: power, gas, and water at main switches if safe

5. Meet and verify entire household is accounted for

6. Synchronize watches and agree on rally locations and timeline expectations

7. Depart home and stay enroute

8. Follow established internal contacts protocol upon reaching the initial assembly point

Learn Essential Survival Skills

If a disaster happens and roads, power lines, or stores are shut down, people must fend for themselves. Useful skills like first aid, finding water, and making fires become essential.

These practical skills help us survive with less reliance on modern conveniences. If ancestors lived without electricity and plumbing, we should be prepared to do the same, especially given the current state of the world!

Learning do-it-yourself strategies from the past bridges the gap when all else fails. Skills training builds competence to make it through lost utilities or emergency facilities.

Prioritize learning fire starting, land navigation without GPS, securing safe water sources, improvising shelters, and emergency first aid.

Some good books and YouTube channels teach useful survival skills. For example, “Bushcraft 101” and the “SAS Survival Handbook” explain techniques for the wilderness. City Prepping and Survival Lilly YouTube channels also share smart tips. Reading and watching these will build key skills for emergency situations.

Also, join local prepper meetup groups or search and rescue team training when possible. Practicing skills monthly with others cements them in your memory. Hands-on training prepares you to actually use survival, first aid, navigation, and other abilities even under stressful disaster conditions.

The inner mental resilience and confidence gained from learning new skills and being able to provide for your basic needs is the ultimate insurance in a survival situation when the world changes in an instant.

Connect Locally to Expand Skills and Emergency Capacity

When tough times stretch Federal, State, and Local resources thin, it’s the strength of local connections that can make all the difference. Get to know your neighbors who are into preparedness by joining local groups, checking community boards, or simply reaching out directly. Plan some get-togethers to share knowledge, exchange tools, or pool resources for everyone’s benefit.

Create straightforward agreements that outline what each person brings to the table – whether it’s skills, resources, or expectations during an emergency. This helps avoid confusion when the unexpected happens. Use online tools like private Telegram channels or encrypted emails. Consider getting a HAM radio or satellite phone for post-event communication if regular cell networks go down.

You can also take part in local volunteer shifts with groups like Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to not only learn more but also build strong connections with those likely to be the first responders in your area. It’s about being prepared and helping each other out when it matters most.

Conclusion

After the panic and devastation witnessed during COVID-19, these statistics are truly mind-blowing. I urge you to start today and develop a gritty survival mindset. Embrace self-reliance, be adaptable under uncertainty, and take proactive steps to be ready.

Assess your readiness gaps, gather basic supplies needed for 3-7 days, learn and practice critical skills, and expand your network among like-minded people in your community.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 80% of Americans couldn’t endure 3 days lacking utilities amid crises

• Few households actually practice evacuation or emergency protocols

• Survival mindset blends practical skills, creative resolve, proactive steps

• Identify preparation gaps; address weaknesses using checklists

• Stockpile minimum food, water, tools, and gear for 72 hours without modern support

• Learn key abilities: first aid, navigation, water sourcing, shelter building

• Join community emergency groups to increase skills, connections

FAQ

How do I build a survival mindset?

Cultivating a survival mindset starts simply by acknowledging vulnerabilities, making modest preparations to overcome temporary supply disruptions, and rehearsing responses to likely local emergencies through visualization, drills with your household, and gradual skill-building like first aid training.

What are the three components of a survival mindset?

The trifecta foundations of the survival mindset are practical skills to secure basic provisions without modern conveniences, adaptable thinking to improvise solutions with limited resources, and determined persistence through uncertain conditions outside one’s control.

What is the survival theory of psychology?

Survival psychology examines how personality traits like independence, decisiveness, vigilance, and an action-oriented “fight” instinct enable overcoming adversity in crisis scenarios versus resignation or dependency on external help.

What are survivalist tendencies?

While terms like “survivalist” sometimes convey paranoid and extreme behaviors, prudent emergency preparation simply means stockpiling reasonable supplies, learning useful skills like navigation, and building community connections to share ideas and resources. These self-reliance tendencies can boost crisis readiness without going overboard if rooted in flexibility.