by Daisy Luther, The Organic Prepper:

Prepping is a lifestyle, but it shouldn’t take over your life to the exclusion of all else.

Things are pretty stressful in the world today, and a lot of people in the preparedness niche, myself included, are urging others to get prepared. This has been an eventful year. And by eventful, I mean like that Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

We have trouble in our economy, trouble in the White House, and people are at each other’s throats for differing opinions, while mainstream media enthusiastically fans the flames.

You still need to live your life.

But despite all of this, I can’t express strongly enough how important it is to live your life. You need things in your life outside of prepping. The “hide in the bunker” mentality is not healthy at this point in time. Preparedness and survival skills should allow you to live in peace, not in fear.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently on an extended research trip to Europe with at least a dozen countries on the list. It has been marvelous and I couldn’t possibly be happier. (If you want to follow along, go here for photos and observations.) My inbox has been full of messages since I announced it, many wishing me well and others telling me that they were unsubscribing.

But this gives me joy, hones my skills, and feeds my soul. Whether I’m swimming in a warm Aegean-blue sea, getting windblown at the Acropolis, and breathing in the damp, fresh smell of a tropical forest, soaking in an amazing view, or gazing at the same stars on a foreign mountain, I’m living. And only I can choose the “right” way to do that.

The same goes for you, too.

My goal has always been to help others. I have had a lot of wonderful experiences, living in a cabin in the Algonquin Forest, homesteading in California, and traveling with my daughters. But there’s one thing I really want to stress to people in the prepping community because I’m watching so many people go completely overboard. This is not mentally healthy. It makes me sad to see people living fearfully and that isn’t what preparedness is all about.

If I can only make one difference in your life, let it be this:

You need to live. Not hide. Don’t let the problems of other people cause you to miss out on experiences, the memories of which could one day carry you through exceedingly difficult times. You only get a finite period of time on this planet, and I plead with you not to spend that time hiding from the world. 

I want to share a few thoughts for preppers about this topic.

Know what you love to do.

Traveling is my thing – it always has been. I’m a restless soul and love nothing more than seeing sights previously unseen. If you take away this part of me, you take away the things that give me the most joy. Getting out there and exploring keeps me feeling younger and healthier.

However, a life of non-stop travel is not for everyone and I’m not suggesting this specifically for everyone. Maybe you enjoy fine dining from time to time. Perhaps you participate in a sport. Maybe you like going to the movies and seeing things on the big screen. Do you like to visit gun shows or prepper expos or homesteading fairs? Perhaps you enjoy concerts or renaissance faires or civil war re-enactments or sports.

Whatever it is that you love to do, embrace it. Work it into your budget. Don’t let worries of restaurants being a “waste” of money, sporting events being blown up, or theaters being shot up seize your joy. Stop worrying about being “on a list” when you go to events and go make some friends who think the way you do.

Just budget for these things you love and go do them. No reasonable prepper will think less of you for it. If someone does say to you, “How can you be a prepper and still do X activity?” you tell them that being a prepper means you live in confidence, not in fear. You don’t have to conform to anyone else’s idea of what preparedness looks like.

Use common sense.

Obviously, when going to places where there could be large groups of people or where you are unfamiliar with the area, you have to use common sense. I prefer the edges of the crowds so I can leave quickly. I don’t drink too much alcohol in unfamiliar places. I am watchful and alert. You can still soak in all the details while maintaining awareness.

You should go do wonderful things but not at the expense of your common sense. No matter where you are, you are still a self-reliant person who is situationally aware. Don’t just go to a concert and stop paying attention to the world around you.

You’re far more likely to be killed by someone you know than by a random stranger. Statistically, it’s extremely unlikely that you will be a victim of a terrorist attack. There’s only a 1 in 3,269,432 chance of dying in one. To me, these numbers are not enough to keep me home.

So, don’t get into an altered state, pay attention, and be ready to make a speedy exit if necessary.

Have more than one skill set.

After I took Selco’s course last year, I really saw the difference between prepping and survival as skill sets. It’s essential to have more than one skill set.

Sure, I’m good at canning and growing vegetables and raising chickens.

But I’m also good at being less noticeable in a crowd, navigating through unfamiliar city streets, and doing my research. I’m not going to go to the city square if protests are occurring. I know where I’m going if things go sideways. I always have an exit plan and more than one way to get from points A to B. And traveling internationally just makes me better at these things.

I learned in Croatia how to hide, how to move with stealth, and how to avoid charging into danger. Am I great at it? Definitely not. I’m no Jason Bourne. But just knowing these things puts me far ahead of most other people, which can be a massive advantage. The more skills and knowledge you have, the better off you’ll be if something goes terribly wrong.

Having the skills of a prepper and the skills of a survivalist is essential. You can’t be a one-trick pony. It’s just as likely you’ll be away from the homestead picking up supplies or going to a doctor’s appointment when things go wrong as it is that you’ll be at home, watching all hell break loose via the internet.

Trust your instincts.

If you think things are about to go sideways, they probably are. Our instincts are there for a reason and sometimes our subconscious mind can pick up on anomalies far sooner than our conscious one. The absolute best book I’ve ever read on this topic is The Gift of Fear. Get it for yourself and get it for the people about whom you care, because the best defense is respecting your own intuition.

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