12 Simple Personal Preparedness Habits

By Melonie Kennedy

In honor of National Preparedness Month, let’s discuss a few simple habits that can be pulled into our daily routines that help us be more resilient in tough times. These ideas don’t even cost a penny; they are about making the most of what we have and using our most powerful weapon: our brain!

If you’re just starting out on your journey toward preparedness, start by choosing just one or two concepts to start. This will make you more prepared almost immediately. Further along in “prepping?” Choose something you’d like to brush up on or use this list to assess where you are and where you’d like to be by the end of the year.

Every one of us is unique, as are our homes, families, and lifestyles, so this list isn’t exhaustive and won’t be a perfect fit for everyone. Use it as a springboard to think about skills you can work on or habits you want to break and work from there!

Let’s Start with Behaviors:

• Keep home and vehicle doors and windows secured as much as possible. Every predator likes easy prey — carjackers can’t open your door as easily if it’s locked, and burglars love unlocked windows and open garage doors.
• Enter and exit vehicles quickly and to buckle up as promptly as possible and teach children to do the same. Consider locking the doors behind your passengers while you walk around to the driver’s side and unlock only your door.
• Drive carefully and with awareness. Do some research on defensive driving so you can reap the benefits of not tailgating and having more room to maneuver in bad weather or heavy traffic.
• Look around! One of the easiest habits to create to help you become better prepared is to increase your awareness of your environment whether you’re at work, out shopping, or at an event. We can’t spot threats if our faces are buried in our phones. Remember the mantra, “Shoulders back, eyes up!”

 Organized & Prepared:

• Create a specific drop spot for your keys, wallet/purse/briefcase, and other items vital to your day. In an emergency, everyone in the house will knows where these items are and can grab them on the way out the door, even in the dark. (Bonus: no more “hidden” car keys and wallets!)
• Keep a pair of slip-on, closed-toe shoes or sturdy slippers under your bed at night and create a safe spot within arms reach of your bed for necessities such as glasses and hearing aids. Even if items are knocked over in the dark or an earthquake, you’ll have a general idea of where they will be and can find them easier. (If you live in a cold area or tend to sleep in minimal clothing, consider keeping a robe nearby too.)
• Change batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms when you change your clocks. This also a great time to change passwords online, save backups of computer files, rotate your emergency items, and perform other tasks that may need to be done seasonally. Scheduling important check-ups around this time is also a great habit; you’ll always know the approximate time for your next dental cleaning or physical this way.

 Finish with Mental Habits:

• Learn and live Colonel Jeff Cooper’s combat mindset and color code. You can even practice “Condition Orange” in the aforementioned traffic situations: watch what other drivers do, make a prediction about their behavior, and preplan the action you will take if they do act in a certain manner. The same sort of practice can be done in a shopping mall, the library, your office, and in your own home. The more you practice “If s/he …, then I …” scenarios, the more prepared your mind will be in a crisis.
• Learn to trust your gut! Gut instincts have given me vital extra seconds of notice in some odd situations and piqued my curiosity about how I could best respond. Being curious allowed me to pre-plan and react as smoothly as possible. If you’re not in the habit of trusting your instincts, consider examining them more closely and practice listening to what they’re telling you. (Some great resources for cultivating this habit are Kelly Sayre’s Sharp Women and The Gift of Fear by Gavin deBecker.)
• People watch. I am always delighted to wait for people in airports and cafés because people are just so fascinating to me! People watching is a great way to work on your situational awareness and start testing your combat mindset. If you’re familiar with the vehicles that frequent your neighborhood or the people who sit in the pews around you at church, you’re going to be better prepared both to welcome friendly newcomers and to stave off those with ill intent.
• Be professional and confident in your dealings with others. As the old saying goes, you’ll get more flies with honey than vinegar, so remember that you’ll be more likely to get what you need when you communicate in a calm, professional manner. Research effective communication and de-escalation techniques. It will make a difference in family and public communication, but it could also save your life.
• Lastly, choose to be positive! A good attitude and a survivor mentality can make or break how you survive crisis situations. You may even notice health benefits as about forty percent of our happiness is achieved through choice. It is entirely possible to reap multiple health and social benefits from the simple habit of viewing things more positively.

 As someone who has lived around the world and dealt with personal, societal, and weather-related emergencies, I can attest that cultivating habits of preparedness will serve you well someday. Don’t listen to anyone who says you’re being silly or paranoid by being prepared! Choosing to practice habits of preparedness can help alleviate personal worries and even allow us to help others during stressful and scary situations.

About the Author: 
Melonie Kennedy is a leader of the Armed Women of America – Anywhere Virtual Online (AVO) Chapter. She can be contacted via taprac.app/meloniek .