Facing a lot of social, cultural and societal upheaval, more and more people are examining and even embracing the survival mentality.

Whether natural or man-made, doomsday or just regular life, the prepared you are, the better your chances of making it through a survival situation – short and long-term.

Embracing something new, especially when it entails a lifestyle change, however, means more and more people are making “rookie mistakes.” Some mistakes are mere inconveniences while others can put you in a worse situation or even be fatal.

In almost all cases, high-stress levels can take a mistake and turn it into an ascending spiral.

Avoiding those rookie survival mistakes is critical to ensuring you make it through in one piece, and the video on the next page covers seven common, rookie mistakes new and old survivalists make.

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