The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 17

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. Spring continues to be rather spicy for parts of the country. Locally, we’ve managed to avoid most of the really nasty stuff, thankfully. But I’ve been seeing numerous reports of tornado damage, flooding, and more. Here’s hoping things settle down for a bit so people can catch their breath.

The manuscript for Common-Sense Everyday Carry has been handed off to the layout designer. It’ll be a few weeks before I get a peek, but I’m excited to see what they come up with. This week, I’m working on a few reviews for Tactical Knives and a couple of articles for Skillset.

* * *

Hormesis refers to how low doses of a stressor can actually be beneficial to our bodies and/or minds. For example, when we lift weights at the gym, what we’re doing is creating microtears in the muscle fibers being used. Those tears will result in the creation of more muscle tissue as they heal, increasing our strength over time.

Here’s the preparedness spin on this. The more accustomed you are to dealing with stressful hardships, the more likely you are to handle them effectively. For example, we talk a lot about stockpiling supplies as well as learning and honing new skills. In addition, there’s something to be said for spending some time “in the suck.” Meaning, intentionally putting yourself in uncomfortable conditions to gain real life perspective and insight. Maybe you pull your car into the backyard and live out of it for a weekend, no matter what the weather brings. Turn the power off to the house (or at least pretend it’s off, so you don’t have to toss out food from the fridge) and spend a few days roughing it that way. Spend a week or two eating nothing but what you have on hand, no trips to the store allowed. Don’t laugh, for some that might be a new experience.

The point here is this. Spending some time when things suck in a controlled environment can help you deal with times when things suck for real. Exercise your prepping plans to help make them stronger.

* * *

Our Frugal Living special issue is in stores now. You should be able to find it just about anywhere magazines are sold. When we put this issue together, one of the things I wanted our writers to focus on was being realistic and practical with their suggestions. I didn’t want just another cookie cutter list of things like, “Brew coffee at home instead of buying it by the cup at the drive-thru.”

What I wanted, and what I feel we achieved, was a magazine filled with advice that is geared toward saving money on expenses while also not cutting every single bit of enjoyment from your life.

One reader recently reached out to me with this comment. “Since losing my job in December, I’ve had some really low days. Reading through the articles — especially the ones about living below your means while still taking care of yourself in this economy — was exactly what I needed.”

If you can’t find the issue locally, you can order it online here.

* * *

If you heat your home with firewood in the winter, don’t wait until fall to secure your fuel supply. Spring and summer offer opportunities for free wood, if you know where to look. Here’s an article I did a while back that details a few strategies to consider.

* * *

Normalcy bias is sort of a fancy way of referring to the notion of the ostrich jamming its head into the sand when confronted with a threat. We don’t want to believe we’re in danger, so we just avoid talking or even thinking about it. Nothing bad has happened so far, therefore nothing bad is going to happen.

Positive thinking is great, but it has to be seasoned with some reality checks as well. The problem lies in ignoring warning signs and alert signals that something is amiss. For example, let’s say you live in a hurricane prone area. You’ve weathered countless bad storms in the last 10-15 years. So, when forecasters begin saying this next one is going to be particularly powerful, you’re inclined to blow it off.

Even when Jim Cantore himself shows up in your town ahead of the hurricane, your normalcy bias keeps telling you that nothing bad is going to happen, because nothing bad has happened before. By the time Waffle House is locking their doors and boarding up windows, it’s too late for you to evacuate.

We see this over and over in so many disasters. People will watch wildfires get closer and closer to their homes, normalcy bias telling them that the fire isn’t going to get to them. It isn’t just disasters, either. We all know someone who puts off going to the doctor for various ailments, because “It’s nothing!” Someday, though, it ain’t gonna be nothing and the something it really is could turn out to be pretty serious.

Every single one of us suffers from normalcy bias to one degree or another. But recognizing it exists is a step toward overcoming it. Do what you can to look at alert signals objectively and take them for what they’re truly worth.

* * *

For our hike over the weekend, we took our granddaughter to the Duck Pond Recreational Area just outside Fontana, Wisconsin. It was a very short walk, barely a mile. When you’re dealing with a three-year-old, sometimes you gotta pick your battles. Still, it was a nice walk.

Survival Tip — Household Hazard Detection

Over the next week or two, go room by room through your home and look at everything with an objective eye. Pretend you’re a safety inspector checking out a workplace. How many hazards or potential hazards can you find?

How cluttered are stairways, hallways, and doorways? My wife will commonly toss things on the stairs leading to the garage, with the intention being to address all of those things later. Problem is that one thing leads to another and it could be hours, if not days, before those things are handled.

Are extension cords being used safely? Don’t run them under carpets, and don’t overload them.

Space heaters should be turned off and preferably unplugged when not in use. Never leave them unattended.

Are there rickety shelves in use anywhere? If so, fix them before they fail completely.

The list goes on and on. There’s no need to delve into paranoia-land with this, but be brutally honest with your observations. Fix what you can. For anything that can’t be easily remedied, try to come up with an alternate, and safer, solution.

Household accidents are largely preventable with just a little bit of attention.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.