Finding yourself on the edge between life and death is no longer a story excerpt. Starting from Mother Nature’s plans for us, and ending with what we, as humanity, put ourselves through, personal safety has clearly become an issue.

Both natural and human-caused disasters are more frequent than ever – if we turn on the news, all we hear about is hurricanes, tornadoes, wars or terrorist attacks.

Now besides the harsh environments like rainforests or deserts, which we deliberately choose to visit, there are also moments that might not find you that well-prepared. And those are critical for you and your family.

Knowing what to do in such cases will help you stay on the right track, until you’re in a danger-free zone, but knowing what NOT to do, will make the difference between staying alive or fighting for your life. I’m about to share with you 5 hints and not-to-do’s that will definitely help you next time when in need!

 #1. Do NOT panic!

You’ve probably heard it a billion times before, but it is THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect if you want to increase your survival chances up to 100%, with minimum or no threats at all.

First of all, keeping your mind lucid will help you focus on the solutions. Be it an earthquake, a tornado or the middle of an ambush, if you panic, you’re more prone to making mistakes, and that is a luxury you can’t afford.

Secondly, staying calm will also help your body perform better, besides the solution-oriented mindset. When you’re in control of the situation, you use adrenaline efficiently – your vigilance is at higher levels and your reaction time is considerably shorter.

These 3 aspects (staying focused on solutions, keeping yourself vigilant, and reacting to danger in a very short time) are the main ingredients to keep yourself alive, which is the first step in helping others protect their lives. The second step is the power of example – if they see you don’t panic, their subconscious mind will tell them there’s nothing to panic about, and they will keep themselves lucid as well.

#2. Do NOT hurry with action!

But do hurry with thinking! And what I mean is: think quickly, act after you’ve find the best solution. It usually is a matter of milliseconds or seconds, at worst.  Every little detail of what you do will get you closer or further from the safety-zone. This is why you need to be informed, so that when the time comes, you’ll just have to choose between existing solutions, and not re-invent the wheel all over again.

If it’s more likely for you to face a natural catastrophe, like a hurricane or an earthquake, read everything you need to know about keeping yourself and your family safe – from having a bunker built somewhere near your house, ending with how to place your furniture to avoid a potential extra damage.

If there is a human-caused disaster (a terrorist attack or an ambush), then chances are they are pretty unpredictable. More than in any similar situation, you must keep your senses sharp and wait until making a move, because the wrong decision can turn you into their next target.

#3. Making a priority out of finding food

If it’s a long-term survival situation, you will need to think a bit further about how you’ll be managing your supplies. Fueling the body with the well-needed resources is what you might think of as the top priority, but what you actually need is drinkable water. While a person can survive up to 40 days without eating anything, dehydration occurs in a couple of days and will lead to hypovolemic shocks, severe headaches, renal insufficiency and many other conditions that will guarantee you the failure of survival.

In this article we shared with you 7 methods that can get you drinkable water very quickly. Having one of these devices around your house or with you in the wilds can, once again, place you on the right edge between survival or failure.

#4. Making the wrong kind of shelter (or no shelter at all)

Just think about it for a second – you might need to spend a few days or even weeks away from the comfort of your bed and home, so you’ll need to adapt as quickly as possible to the new lifestyle, be it temporarily.

The common mistake you might be tempted to make if you’re out in the wilds, is forgetting about the dangers coming from below. In other words, if you want to survive for as long as needed, remember that it’s not the roof above you that matters that much, but the bed you’ll be sleeping in (the ground, in this case).

Take note that a well-built “bed” will keep you warm at night, and should be the first step when creating the shelter you need. Not isolating yourself from the cold soil will freeze your body overnight, forcing it to consume even more energy for homeostasis.

If your house has been affected by a natural catastrophe, check for potential damage-free zones, and build your shelter around that area. Keep in mind the same principle – lying on the ground might not be the best solution unless you isolate your body and keep it warm.

#5. Under evaluating the risks

Failing to plan is planning to fail. This quote says it all – try your best to be prepared at any given time for a potential catastrophe. And I don’t suggest straddling, but making sure you’re informed enough for any kind of danger you’re likely to face. Sometimes, what seems like a good idea might mean your sentence to disaster, so try and test as many perspectives as possible before facing the real danger, and you’ll be prepared when the time comes.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? Share with us the do’s and don’t’s that helped you survive!