A Pessimist’s Guide: How to prepare for the apocalypse
If you feel like the world’s on the precipice of a cataclysmic disaster, you’re not alone. If you want to start preparing for the apocalypse, click here. The world’s in a precarious place right now. There’s war—political unrest. Natural disaster. And those are just a few of our problems. In many ways, it feels like a disaster’s looming.
It’s hardly surprising that 16.4% of Americans fear an apocalypse is just around the corner. Call it pessimism. Call it superstition. Call it paranoia. But who’d be laughing if the worst were to happen?
Those who were prepared for the end of the world, or those who weren’t? Yep. Thought so. Apocalypse preparedness is about thinking ahead and planning accordingly. But what does that entail? We wanted to help! Keep reading for a guide to preparing for the apocalypse and be the end of world survival.
10 Tips for Preparing for the Apocalypse
The apocalypse could be around the corner. Are you ready? If not, check out these ten tips to figure out how to prepare.
How to prepare for the apocalypse: plan your survival
Prior preparation prevents poor performance. Or so the adage goes. This is a worthy lesson to pay heed to as you prepare for the end of the world. It comes down to this: you need a plan. The apocalypse could come in many forms. Zombies? Political unrest leading to lethal mass uprisings? Threats from foreign shores? Your guess is as good as mine.
Needless to say, you need to plan accordingly. Consider the most likely scenario and get to work. Where will you go? What will you take? Who will you need to go with? Lone wolf or group leader? All are important questions that need answering. If they involve loved ones and close others, make sure everyone’s aware of your plans. People should know what to expect so everyone and everything is coordinated and in the know.
Have Essential Supplies to Hand
Life after an apocalypse ain’t gonna be easy, far from it. Electricity may be out. Hospitals will be unable to operate effectively—chemists out of stock. Supermarkets raided and abandoned. Essential supplies will be a thing of the past. Unless that is, you’ve already stocked up. Think about food, water, gas, and medical supplies.
Oh, and don’t forget the necessary ablutions to stay clean. It would help if you had all the essentials in stock, at home, and in any bug-out shelter you’ve got waiting for you (more on this later). This way, you won’t be caught short when the worst happens.
Get the Right Gear
Alongside your stock of essential supplies, you’ll need the appropriate gear. Again, this requires you to think ahead to anything that may be required of you in an apocalypse.
Electricity will probably be out. Consider a generator or torches and batteries at the very least. Also, get the best permanent match to light things up. Gasoline and diesel stocks will likely be depleted in gas stations.
Have spare canisters to hand. What about axes to chop wood? Weapons to defend yourself? Matches? Maps? Ropes? Any or all of the above may come in handy. View here everything you could ever need in a survival situation.
How to prepare for the apocalypse: Master the Art of Independence
People are generally over-reliant on the system to sustain them. It would help if you were better at looking after yourself. This may require a lot of learning. Learn how to grow your own food and be self-sufficient.
Practice essential skills for apocalypse situations, such as knot-tying, fire-lighting self-defense, and hunting. Remember, you’ll be living with very little. Get used to having nothing and extricating yourself from day-to-day luxuries, such as warm beds, ample nutrition, loving friends and family, and so on.
It’s a mental battle as much as anything. In an apocalypse, you may find yourself alone for long periods of time, too. You’re likely to see, experience, and live through some awful things. This’ll require the mental fortitude to stay sane and persevere through the dark times. It’s your job to get ready for this in advance.
Learn Self-Defense
Part of being self-sufficient is knowing how to protect yourself. In any potential end-of-world scenario, you’ll almost certainly find your safety at risk. Whether that’s from a zombie, terrorist, invading army, or civil unrest, is your guess as good as mine. It’s in your interest to know self-defense. Get to grips with hand-to-hand combat, small-arms shooting, and so on.
Keep Personally Fit and Healthy
Think it’ll be easy to stay alive when the time comes? It won’t be. There’s a reason some will survive, and others will perish. All of the preparations here will give you an edge. But staying physically and mentally healthy will be especially important.
You’ll likely be moving around, doing essential physical things, running from danger, and protecting yourself, and so on. It will require strength and resolve. Being in peak condition at the outset will give you a great advantage.
How to prepare for the apocalypse: Build a Bunker
Also known as bug-out shelters, having a hide-out or bunker away from civilization is a crucial back-up in disaster situations. Escape the main disaster zone by building one in a safe, secure location. The whereabouts of which should be on a need-to-know basis only.
It needs to be fully kitted out, though. Stock your shelter with all the requisite provisions. From food to clothes, bedding to ammunition. You may be hunkered down for days, weeks, or even months.
Create a Comms System
Phone-lines will be down. Mobile signals will have failed. Internet? What internet? How will you communicate if your typical communications options aren’t working? It’ll be in your interest to have the means to contact people. Think about it. What if you’re separated from your family?
Or need to listen to the latest news updates or listen in to others’ communications? A radio’s your best bet.
Pack Your GOOD Bag
GOOD stands for Getting Out of Dodge. This is your get-out-of-dodge bag. Also known as a bug-out bag. It’s your first 72 hours survival bag in case of an immediate emergency. It’s the holdall with your ticket to getting through any post-apocalyptic fallout. If the worst happens, you’re ready.
Imagine packing for a multi-day hike/hunting expedition. You’ll need the same clothes, rations, water supplies, shelter, medical kit, and so on, except for possibly greater stores of ammunition and varied means of self-protection. You can pack for longer if you like. But having your first three days planned for is a decent starting point.
Be Happy, Helpful, and Collaborative World Citizens
Many apocalypse scenarios (natural disasters, medical emergencies…) are out of our control. But issues like political unrest, climate change, war, terror, and so on are all issues that we have a say in within democratic societies. Through caring for each other, living virtuous lives, and taking charge of our political and social destinies, we have a better chance of avoiding (or at least postponing) any potential total and catastrophic demise of the world.
How to prepare for the apocalypse: time to hunker down
There you have it: a guide to preparing for the apocalypse. Remember, prior preparation prevents poor performance. It starts with a plan. Know what you’ll do if/when the end of the world happens. Next, stock up on supplies and gear that’ll come in handy. Learn to be independent and how to protect yourself. Stay fit, build a bunker, buy a radio, prepare your GOOD bag, and, finally, live as well as you can in the interim.
Hopefully, the tips here have given you the information you need to handle the worst. Now we’d like to hear from you. What preparations are you taking for a future apocalypse? Let us know in the comments!
