Often in life, knowing what not to do is as valuable as knowing what to do.
This is true in a survival situation and in fact, avoiding what not to do could save your life!
Don’t blame yourself
If you manage to survive the first wave, there’s a chance you could make it after all. This is known as survivor’s guilt and it’s a complex subject. Most people perceive themselves to have done wrong by surviving a crisis, when others close to them did not. Even more, they start looking for culprits and re-live the past imagining what they could have done differently. Rather than analyzing why you didn’t prepare when you had the chance, it’s better to put your energy into finding ways to outlast the crisis. After SHTF, you should figure out how to survive on the supplies you have, how much will they last and what you need to do afterwards.
Don’t think you are alone
After SHTF, the social elements from your area could become both your salvation and your demise. Most preppers will take steps to isolate themselves or move away from the affected area. This is a good practice if you fear the event can have long-term consequences and if you are prepared to outlast the others. However, if you are new to emergency preparedness things may require a different approach. After SHTF, once your 3-day supplies run out, you will have to look for the help of others.
Don’t ignore your intuition
You know yourself, you know your living area and you should certainly know the people living there. If your guts tell you that you should move or you should pay attention to looters, then you should do exactly that. It is impossible for anyone on the outside to dictate how you should act and make assumptions on how things will turn out. You have to trust your instincts and follow the best course as you believe it to be.
Don’t decline government aid
After SHTF, a form of government might still be in effect. Chances are it will provide some form of help, may it be medical assistance or water and food distribution. Most preppers tend to see the government as the boogeyman and they will decline government assistance. They will do so because they have concerns about the costs of this aid and they already have everything they need at home. This could be a fatal error and you don’t want to separate yourself from the common folks.
Think of it this way, if Martial Law is declared and if you’re not there in line asking for food, water or medicine like all the rest, people will start asking questions. They will come looking for you to check if you’re still alive or if you need assistance. Once they notice you have one year’s worth of supplies or more, they will claim it for the good of the general public. After SHTF, make sure you blend in and look just as desperate as the others.
Don’t go back
Planning to bug out implies that you should also be prepared to start fresh somewhere else. There is a big temptation to go back home before things settle. People want to make sure their belongings are still there or they want to check if their home is still standing. After hurricane Katrina, a lot of people went home after they made sure the loved ones are safe. They decided to do so once the news got out there were looters ransacking people’s homes. As you can imagine, the situation escalated and people died. If you plan to go back home after SHTF, make sure you have all the right info. Do so, only after things return to normal and law enforcement officers are present.
Survival situations are, by nature, difficult to navigate; this is particularly true if the general environment is chaotic or if civil authorities have become overwhelmed.
In those situations, understanding how to avoid pitfalls and what not to do is almost as important as understanding what you must do to survive.
To read up on more suggestions of what not to do, please visit Prepper's Will.