Prepping is inherently a practice of self-preservation. By being prepared for anything, we can ensure that we are safe and in our best shape. But what if prepping IS the problem? It’s absolutely possible to over-do something, regardless of what it is. Here are some things to look out for to see if your own prepping is your biggest danger.
The idea came to us after fellow prepper Bernie Carr wrote about it, describing a story where someone was opting out of traveling with their family as to save more money for prepping supplies. It brought up the idea of when prepping becomes unhealthy and begins to negatively affect peoples’ lives.
How to Avoid Prepper Self-Destruction
- Don’t Miss Memory Makers: It’s one thing to opt out of going to see a movie with friends because you’re building a water filter and storage system. It’s another thing to decline a trip to Vegas so you can tend to your vegetable garden. Assuming that time and money are not a concern, then the opportunity to prep shouldn’t take dominion over the chance to experience something memorable.
- Be Financially Responsible: Sure, that $160 gas mask set seems cool. And sure, it would be an amazing thing to have if air toxins are the cause of a SHTF scenario. But if you only have $175 in the bank and you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you shouldn’t be buying these things. The same rings true for large purchases. Having a safe and functional car is more important than a shipping crate bunker.
- Be Open Minded: Not everyone will want to, or even agree with, prepping. We may naturally want to encourage others to start or be upset when they actively don’t want to. But it’s important to not let that be your defining social characteristic. Don’t alienate people with no desire to prep. And don’t talk about the topic more than they want to. This will help keep your social relationships happy and healthy.
- Don’t Break the Law: The United States (or wherever you live) has laws in place that sometimes conflict with prepping ideas. This includes laws against transmission waves (signal jammers are illegal) to anti-trapping laws (inhumane killing of animals). Whether you agree with them or not, you don’t need to be given a fine (or maybe jail) over being a prepper. Law comes first.
- Don’t Stress Out: Prepping can be stressful. Whether it’s managing and affording supplies or just keeping up with all of the bad news in the world. When that happens, there are things we can do to ease that stress. We actually write about this in greater depth in our previous article, Staying Mentally Healthy In A World of Bad News. Give it a read.
Prepping can be a good thing, but it can be bad too. It’s up to you to decide which.