To mentally prepare for whatever may come your way is very vital. It means having a plan in place for any potential SHTF situation.

Mentally preparing can reduce your stress and anxiety. It is also assuring that you are set for whatever comes your way. As a result, it can improve your mental health.

How to Mentally Prepare for Any SHTF Situation

To mentally prepare for the worst is something that all preppers do. Set yourself up for success by having a plan. It can reduce your amount of stress and anxiety.

By being ready for anything, you reduce the anxieties that come with SHTF situations.

Knowing that you have planned what you need to survive allows you to let go of some of the fear and panic. Anxiety and panic can come with shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and conflicts.

As preppers, we tend to view catastrophes and tragedies through different eyes.

First, we’re preparing ourselves should anything like what we see out there happen to us where we are.

Second, the anxiety about these events motivates us to prepare.

Preparing is a bit of a coping strategy for many, as insurance is an investment in peace of mind.

Having it allows us to let go. Having a plan lets us let go of the stress and anxiety of the dreadful things that could occur. Then, if something worse happens, we’re ready.

Finally, we can acknowledge that we have what we need to deal with anything that has it bad.

We hope we never need our prepared trauma kits, but it will mean the difference to us or someone else the minute we do.

Having it allows us to let go of the stress and anxiety of the horrific things that could occur.

If something worse happens, we’re ready.

We can acknowledge that we have what we need to deal with anything that has it bad.

But what if our preps are never enough?

Anxiety can be a huge hindrance when it comes to SHTF planning. It can put us in panic and release stress hormones that can ramp us up even more frantic.

But, by acknowledging that we have what we need to deal with in any situation, we can let go. We can let go of some of that anxiety and focus on what’s important.

In this blog post, let’s examine the common anxieties that go hand in hand with prepping. Then, I’ll give you tips on how to prepare mentally. So you can do your prepping goals without feeling overwhelmed or crippled by anxiety.

6 SHTF Skills to Mentally Prepare for Any SHTF Situation

  1. Stay focused—plot along to the larger goal of self-sufficiency. And be independent of a system destined to fail.
  2. Do not let your anxiety become so overwhelming. But, do not let it cripple your forward progress.
  3. Take the time to appreciate what you have accomplished. Appreciate as well everything you already have in place.
  4. Take the time to breathe and avoid herd mentality.
  5. Prepare for what you will face, turning crippling anxiety into motivating pressure.
  6. Remember that some anxiety is good – it helps us do good and work faster.

Beware of Herd Mentality

Social learning is one of the things that exacerbate our anxiety.

We witness other people panic buying and suppose that there must be a disaster on the horizon. But this may not always be the case, and the panic buying will cause a pandemic.

Toilet Paper Shortage 2021

Consider the shortage.

People who stockpile influenced panic buying more than any proximity to real danger.

After all, the was not on the list of Covid symptoms. But we still see the herd of people snapping up the inventory.

And we reflect on our supply and wonder if we shouldn’t grab whatever else we can.

Should you grab a little extra toilet paper, food, hand sanitizer, or cleaning products?

The panic-buying leads to empty shelves. It then leads to supply shortages. It is causing the feeling that the problem is more significant than it is.

We function as a herd but don’t have to live in a herd mentality. 

Most prepared people explain what brought them to prepping. And they explain how they managed through a disaster.

It often begins with – everybody was panicking.

When you see everyone running away from something, you bet – that we are in a herd mentality. So we join stampedes even before knowing why we’re running. We instinctively do this because it’s survival behavior.

Prepping allows us to go beyond much of this herd thinking.

It is wise to apply wisdom if we know that the storm is coming from the gathering clouds. So use the knowledge of – what happens with gathering clouds – and get on higher ground.

When we look at the world, we are stricken with anxiety.

Because we see so many people unaware of the same threats we perceive, it is wise to shed our herd mentality.

We plan our preps and security.

So run with the herd when you have to – but understand why you are running. And do not let the anxiety of the pack change your course!

End of The World Preparation: How to Prepare for the End of the World

Spoiler Alert: You won’t be able to prepare for the world’s future end.

Your preparations won’t matter.

Your efforts won’t matter when the apocalypse occurs. It won’t count on some other great global catastrophe.

If a comet hits a planet and creates an extinction-level event, what you stored in your bug-out won’t matter. How many beans and ramen you’ve stockpiled would not count.

Focus on what is most likely to happen to you.

Don’t spend all your time prepping for some massive collapse or disaster.

The disaster most likely to occur is more local to you.

Don’t focus on Extinction-Level Events.

The name extinction-level event is such because it leads to extinction.

It is the process of a species, family, or other groups of animals or plants becoming extinct.

Given this information, don’t expect a mass extinction event. Nor prepare for armageddon. It will fill you with unendurable dread.

Something like this could happen. But what you have on your shelves will not likely matter to ease anxiety.

In your preparation, concentrate on the most probable disasters you’ll face.

An Icelandic volcano erupted and released enough ashes into the atmosphere. As a result, it shut off sunlight in Europe in 536 CE.

Byzantine historian Procopius saw it. He described it as the sun giving forth its light without brightness like the moon. It lasted for .

Pestilence raged in the form of the .

It later came again and became the .

It was one of the worst periods in history: with no sun, food, or known cure for the disease. Societal Declined.

There have been conventional wars. It was terrible if you were a Roman!

But, things weren’t too bad for you if you lived somewhere else. Even major global events don’t always spell Romans’ end of the world a decade later. Things got back to normal even though its government collapsed.

Don’t over-prepare for some imaginary collapse or calamity. The disaster that will occur is closer to you.

If you live in a storm-prone region:
Prepare for the worst storm before considering unlikely possibilities,

If you live in the countryside:
You won’t have to worry about civil unrest as your city relatives will need to do so.

If a nationwide power outage occurs every ten years for the last three decades:
It is more critical for you to prepare for a tragedy than any spectacular but less probable event.

Doomsday may be looming on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean you have to go down without a fight.

By preparing mentally for the world’s end, you can face whatever comes your way – with courage and strength.

Check out this video of TheInfographicsShow Insane Ways People are Preparing for Doomsday:



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The end of the world is a scary thought for many people.  For some, it’s a passing worry that comes and goes; for others, it’s a full-time obsession.  No matter where you fall on the spectrum, it’s essential to be mentally prepared for whatever may happen.

We’ve outlined some tips for getting your mind in the right place to face whatever comes your way.

Comment below and let us know what your favorite mental preparation strategy is!

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This content was originally published here.

Without a doubt, sanitation and the disposal of various wastes and garbage materials will be of critical importance in any post-SHTF situation. Where waste and filth accrue, bacteria, viruses and pests like mice, rats and fleas all start to thrive. In turn, a toxic and increasingly deadly environment is created and diseases start to spread.

So whether you live in an urban, suburban or more rural location, the disposal of waste materials is an important consideration.

Organic materials, including plant materials and food waste, can be turned into compost for fertilizing the soil, while animal manure can also be used as fertilizer. Human urine can even be added on top of your compost pile to aid in the decomposition process.

In addition to a compost pile for all organic wastes, a pig can further minimize the waste or loss of any food material, though there is unlikely to be any substantial amount of food waste after a serious calamity.

Burning Waste

burning wasteOne of the most immediate solutions you might think of would be to burn solid waste and garbage materials. On a small scale, burning refuse can be a suitable method of disposal, especially for excess wood, paper products, and other plant materials.

Unfortunately, burning more toxic materials such as plastics, oils, industrial chemicals, and so on is not such a good idea, nor is it always possible.

Also unfortunately, burning just about anything runs the risk of drawing attention to yourself. A burn pile of any substantial size can give away your location, potentially for miles around. And, if you’re burning trash in an area where a lot of other people are also burning waste, everyone may end up paying the price with polluted, toxic air.

Burying Waste

If you have the space, burying solid wastes that you cannot otherwise dispose of may be an option. You’d still want to be careful about what you buried, especially in terms of harmful liquids or potent chemicals, but burial is a viable option for many solid wastes. Burial is also the option of choice for disposing of human waste, as in the case of an outhouse or latrine. Unless you have a septic system that you’re able to maintain, you’ll likely need an outhouse.

Recycling Waste

Another thing to consider is that in a post-SHTF scenario you probably won’t be throwing out nearly as much as you imagine. Aside from some various packaging materials from whatever preps you already have, such as food, barter items, etc., you’re unlikely to have much trash.

Metal and glassware can be sanitized and reused, or melted and used for new materials. Even if you can’t melt and recast such materials yourself, it’s quite likely that someone within the community will be able to and that such materials will be tradable and have some value.

Urban Wasteland

urban wastelandUnfortunately, an urban area is liable to be something of a cesspool when it comes to trash and how various waste is handled, especially during the first few weeks or months after a disaster.

Depending on how people choose to act, the streets are likely to be contaminated with trash, refuse and sewage. In other words, it will be hugely unsanitary. Your best bet will be to maintain a sanitary perimeter around your property, or home, to the best of your ability.

If water is available, wash your hands, dishes, clothes and other tools regularly. Bury, burn or compost your waste as much as possible, or dispose of it at a location distant from your property. Keep vermin, pests and bugs away from your property by minimizing open piles of trash or refuse, and keep your food supplies well-guarded against such pests or other intruders.

Protection from Sewer Overflow

When the sewers get backed up and stop functioning, you might be surprised to find contaminated sewer waste flowing up through your shower and bath drains, through your toilets and even through your sinks.

You can protect your home from this sort of contamination by having a sewer non-return valve installed on your sewer line. A sewer non-return valve is also highly recommended for anyone who lives in a flood-prone area.

Disposing of the Dead

This is not a nice topic to cover, but considering that we’re discussing a serious post-SHTF type of scenario, it seems prudent to mention how to handle the dead in such a situation. Hopefully you’ll never actually have to dispose of a dead body, or bodies, but the likelihood exists following a serious disaster or collapse of society. In the event of societal breakdown or collapse, the number of dead can be expected to steadily increase for a while as people die of starvation, dehydration, and both chronic and acute diseases.

Bodies are typically buried or burned, with burning probably being the more likely prospect in a post-SHTF situation. Dead bodies produce an untenable stench if they are left in the open, and they swiftly attract scavengers, vermin and disease.

While it may sound somewhat callous to suggest burning bodies as the most efficient means of disposal, please keep in mind that between 55% and 80% of people today are already cremated. Burial of all the dead, especially individual burial, is simply not possible even under most modern circumstances.

Anytime you must come in contact with the bodies of the dead, exercise extreme caution. You have no way of knowing how or why a person died, nor what sort of diseases they may have had. As a result, avoid handling dead bodies unless absolutely necessary, and avoid direct contact with your skin as much as possible. Wash your hands and skin thoroughly any time you may have come into contact with a dead body.

This article has been written by Gaia Rady for Survivopedia.

This content was originally published here.