As a survivalist, prepper, defender, etc… You know how important it is to be in an active state of readiness and prepared for whatever life might throw at you.
Not paranoid, just ready!
So, in this post we are going to be discussing…
Daily Practices for Keeping You Aware & Alive
The following tips will help you with personal safety, home security, and readiness for any danger that may come your way on a daily basis.
We are aiming to help you with your situational awareness and thinking proactively about your surroundings.
Without further ado, here we go:
25 Things You Should Always Do for Everyday Survival
These are not in any sort of order of importance or anything like that. They are all important in their own ways and should be practiced in your daily life.
1) Back in when parking – You either have to back-in or back-out whenever you park, so I recommend backing-in when you park (garage, driveway, parking lot, etc) so you can quickly and easily pull out forward if necessary. Trust me, this may just save your life one day!
2) Park near the exits in big lots – When at sporting events, concerts, etc don’t try to be anywhere near the front of the lot. This helps you to bypass the cluster if you need to get out of there quickly.
3) Leave plenty of distant between your vehicle and the one in front of you at all times – When you are at intersections, in a drive-thru, or anywhere else; make sure you have enough space to get out of your lane and going if necessary. There are a LOT of reasons why this is a good idea but I’m not going to go over all of them here. I think you can figure out why this is important!
4) Keep a survival kit in all of your vehicles – You never know when you might break down (or get stuck), or where, or how long, or what the weather might be. You’ll want to be prepared for any situation if it does happen. We’ve gone over this more than once here on Smart Survival Skills so I’m not going to say much about it here. Just do it!
5) Have appropriate clothing with you – Never leave your home if you don’t have the right clothing with you to keep you alive if something unexpected happens. Know the weather and prepare for it. This is easiest if you simply keep some extra clothing in your vehicle(s) at all times.
6) Keep fuel in your tank – Always have at least a half tank of gas in your vehicle. You never know when you might have to bail out and you will want to have plenty of gas to get you way out of there at that time. You might get stranded somewhere in the cold and need the vehicle running to stay warm. Or many other reasons to keep your car gassed up.
7) Stay in the periphery – When in restaurants, buildings, and other public places try to sit/stand where you can see everything and get out easily. When eating out, I try to sit as close as I can to the back exit while also being able to see as much of the restaurant as possible.
8) Always have an escape plan – Any time you enter a building you should mentally note where the exits are and develop a quick plan in your mind of how to get out in an emergency.
9) Have a way to defend yourself nearby at all times – This doesn’t necessarily mean a firearm (though that’s typically the best option if possible) but you should have SOMETHING that you can defend yourself with in your vicinity, even if it’s an every day item. Look around you right now, I bet you can identify an object that could be used as a defensive weapon. Keep that mental note and find an object everywhere you go.
10) Scan your environment periodically – No matter where you are in public, you should be scanning the area for suspicious people or anything that seems out of place. No need to be paranoid, just be aware. If something or someone doesn’t look right; get away. Stop staring at your phone and not noticing your surroundings!
11) Don’t share your location – It’s very enticing to show off your awesome vacation pics on social media while you are there, but that is just asking for trouble. Wait until you are back home to do your bragging. Nothing screams “come burglarize my house” more than announcing to the world that you are far away!
12) Avoid public transportation (if you can) – This is one of those that is quite obvious why its on the list, but could also be pretty hard to avoid depending on where you are. Just be aware that public transportation is notorious for bad things happening.
13) Stay away from large crowds when possible – Of course you want to go to that event, concert, or whatever; but don’t go into crowded places if you don’t have to. You might feel safe because you are in a crowd (and that is true to some extent in certain circumstances) but often times these places are where the danger lies.
14) Walk with a purpose – Have intent and be deliberate with your movements. Don’t look down or appear scared. Definitely don’t stare at your phone while you are walking. Keep your head up and have confidence in your demeanor. Act as if you have a destination to get to and you are on a mission to get there – even if you don’t. Never look like prey!
15) Blend in with your surroundings – Don’t draw attention to yourself unnecessarily. You don’t want to be the one that screams “tourist” or tag yourself as an outsider of any kind. Be the “grey man” in the situation.
16) Stay fit – Although not often mentioned in survival tips, this is actually one of the most important parts of a prepper lifestyle. Your life is going to significantly change and you will be FAR more active than you are now if staying alive is your new reality. Don’t be the fat guy left to the wolves!
17) Be informed – You need to stay aware of what’s happening in the world on a daily basis so you can be prepared for any likely scenarios that might be on the horizon. Simply put; don’t be caught slipping.
18) Think for yourself – Don’t just follow the heard. This is something you are going to need to use your own judgement on when something happens or doesn’t seem right. It’s gonna be more of a survival instinct. Following the crowd is often not the right choice. Assess the situation and go from there.
19) Be stealthy with your preps – There’s no need to talk about all of your food preparedness, home defenses, survival plans, or anything else. Don’t share these with anyone that doesn’t NEED to know – not even your close friends or extended family. Keep that to yourself!
20) Develop skills – You don’t have to be a mercenary soldier but you should absolutely possess survival skills, fighting ability, self-reliance, bushcraft, etc… and keep them sharp & ready at all times.
21) Don’t be stupid – In the words of the living legend, John Correia, from Active Self Protection; “Don’t go to stupid places with stupid people and do stupid things!” I would also add, “stupid times” to the list as there are much worse times to go to certain places.
22) Never be alone in secluded locations – You’d think most people would know this and be afraid of doing it, but it’s insane how many don’t. I’m not sure what else to say. Just don’t do it!
23) Keep your house and property well-lit – Burglars are typically opportunists so don’t give them the cover of darkness they want in order to case your house or property. Put up motion sensing lights, turn on your outside lighting every night, and so on.
24) Always lock your doors – Whether you are home, leaving for just a minute, heading to work, or going on vacation — KEEP YOUR DOORS LOCKED AT ALL TIMES! This is also true for your vehicle… lock the doors anywhere and everywhere, no matter what, even if you are inside the car. You wouldn’t believe how many burglaries, robberies, carjackings, and kidnappings could be avoided if people just locked their doors!
25) Have a security system – In this day and age there are so many options and a lot of them are not very expensive at all. Some are downright cheap. There’s no excuse for not having at least some sort of home security system right now.
Final Thoughts
Always remember: Paying attention to your world will buy you time and that extra time will give you more options.
As I said before, there’s no need to live your life in a paranoid state or not have any fun. That’s not necessary. However, if you just change a few things in your daily habits and pay attention to your surroundings, you will be FAR more likely to avoid danger when you are doing the things you enjoy.
Creating solid daily habits is a lot easier than eliminating bad ones. You just need some self-discipline and consistency.
Most of the practices above can be developed fairly easily if you stick to a routine and are conscious of your surroundings.
In the beginning, you might need something to remind you to perform these tasks. Set an alarm, write notes, watch videos every day, read blog posts, and so on.
These are all ways to help you develop positive habits of situational awareness, self protection, survival, and preparedness.
Trust me, you can do it! Stay safe my friends.