I belong to several online preparedness forums and social media groups and one thing in the last four years that vexes me is the break down in mentality and focus that can occur by so-called experienced preppers. The creator and moderator of one of these groups has often expressed dismay and near-panic level confusion at the events that have occurred in the last four and a half years. In that regard I'd like to address the issue of preparedness mentality and how 'preppers' should think and reason when finding themselves in the throes of a disruptive event.
Admittedly, at it's foundation preparedness or "prepping" is an anxiety-driven practice rooted in the fear that something bad is going to happen and people should be prepared for that 'something' when it does. This is the primary drive for the majority of preppers. Anxiety is the encouraging factor with preparedness being the result. When you plan against and prepare for a disruptive event, the emotional and psychological result is that you should feel a sense of relief and confidence as you work through your plan. Someone who has 3 years of preparedness supplies, for instance, should not continue to feel high levels of anxiety or worry if there's a week-long power outage. If a prepper with that level of supplies still feels such fear 1 of 2 things could be occurring.
1. Overall Lack of Preparedness
Unless you're comfortably wealthy and can devote a massive chunk of money and resources into your initial preparedness plan, it will take you several months or years to achieve a comfortable level of preparedness, overall. During those months or years its' not uncommon for a prepper to experience small anxiety attacks and feelings of "it's taking me too long to get ready." I can attest to this. When 2020 kicked off with a global pandemic I had just moved in with my girlfriend and we had barely started to shore up our preps. Add to that the fact our normal shopping cycle happened to fall right in line with some major grocery shortages so yeah, we were hurting.
In my opinion this type of anxiety is normal and can really only be mitigated by keeping on, keeping on. Stick to your plan and take heart that your food, water, and medical supplies are coming along in a fair and balanced pace. The only other option is to threaten your financial stability (and financial preparedness) by taking out a loan or swiping funding from other projects to expedite your prep plan. Typically most households cannot afford to take such steps, but again, that's okay. Review your plan, take another inventory of what you do have, indulge in your progress, and realize that all will be well.
2. Deeper-rooted Anxiety
This reasoning implies a shaken psychological or mental state that goes beyond a simple level of preparedness against a disruptive even. Keep in mind that I am no psychologist myself and have had no formal training outside of a few college courses on the matter. However, as stated above there really is no reason for someone with literally years of preparedness supplies and extensive training in survival skills to be worried and anxious about the general store running out of toilet paper or hoards of the unprepared to be panic buying. I believe that people with a sufficient level of preparedness who still wring their hands and feel panic-level anxiety while watching the news should seek some professional assistance. At the very least people in this state should strive to improve their dealing with anxiety at a mental or psychological level.
Professional counseling, especially during and since 2020, is on the rise and more readily available to any and all who seek it out. So, too in this day and age should the need or even 'want' for counseling be seen as a sign of weakness or shame. Many times in the course of our lives do we need a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen, and a professional counselor is just someone trained to help in those very times.
A healthy dose of religion can help as well. Please note that I typed healthy and intentionally did not define a specific religion there. Positive religious pursuits that 'call' to you and your spirituality in a positive and supportive way have been proven to make people happier, increase morale and sense of community, and add to an over-all healthier state, mentally and physically. These pursuits do not have to be Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. They don't even need to be 'spiritual' or even anything more than a positive philosophy shared by a large group of others world-wide. As long as these pursuits are positive and they resonate with you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually you can benefit from lower anxiety.
Additional Suggestions
I asked a friend (who's not at all into prepping) if the year 2020 taught him anything. He avoided the question, but did flip it back on me. On some self-reflection I responded that 2020 taught me that during a sustainable disruption nearly everybody will suffer stress and anxiety throughout the course of the event. The saying, "We're all in this together" certainly applies to global pandemics and regional out-breaks of protests and rioting. Some things that helped me through the darker times include;
- Take inventory. Sometimes stepping back and reviewing your preparations and realistically seeing how far you've come puts things into perspective and can give you a stronger sense of confidence.
- Surround yourself with positive people. 2020 was a rough year with a LOT of political division which spread into friend circles and family households, alike. When you can, avoid the negative people in your sphere of influence and, instead, identify the positive people and hang out with them more. Do the same on social media. More than once I've pruned my social media friends lists to rid my feeds of constant negative postings. This has helped me extensively.
- Surround yourself with positivity in general. Watch a stand-up comedian you enjoy. Indulge in binge-watching a few shows that make you feel good. Target some positive podcasts that make you laugh.
- Get into a routine. In this day and age of unemployment or working from home, we've broken all of our routines, and some people, psychologically rely on a routine to set their sequence. Bone up on your discipline and start to follow a daily and weekly routine from bed times to work times.
- Break your routine. We've been in a global pandemic and various stages of lock down for well over a year, now. For some of us not only have we successfully established a routine, but we dogmatically follow it, and this can cause some emotional stress and and general malaise. Take a walk when you don't normally do so. Burn a PTO day and relax on the couch. Do anything to deviate from your daily or weekly routine with something that makes you feel good.
- Turn off the news, the Internet, and social media. Yep, there's a LOT of negativity out there so, just switch it off. Go outside and find nature again (our lock downs here have never been so bad we couldn't walk the local parks). Read a book. Practice a prepping skill such as knot making....but do anything you can to get away from the electronic depression.
- Lastly, if you're still not into seeking some professional guidance, do some self reflecting and research your own emotional state. Many additional (valid) resources remain online for doing just this, all coming with their own additional suggestions for reducing stress and anxiety.
Conclusion
Both counseling and a positive religious practice, in addition to the suggestions above, can bolster mentality by increasing positivity, confidence, and restoring that strong sense of self reliance.
I very much hope this blog post helps someone and gives someone some added strength and guidance. Untold additional (free) help and resources can be found all over the Internet and even beyond that if you need someone to talk to further, I invite you to freely reach out to me and I will help in any way I'm able. We really are in this world, with all it's problems, together. As a fellow member of the prepper community, we must be here for one another.
Peace.
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