Far from being a trend of the moment, becoming a Prepper takes time, dedication, goals and sacrifices.
There are no requirements in your background to develop the will to turn yourself into a prepared person. It is all about awareness, and everyone can attain it.
This article is intended to be a hand-out from a female Prepper to a future female Prepper. I am not the pre-eminent expert within this field, not at all. I consider myself a learner, and moved by constant curiosity and desire to improve, which are the very cornerstones of developing an independent and strong mindset.
Without these premises, being a Prepper is inconsistent, sterile.
Personal experience
No one can jump out of bed one day and become a Prepper. It doesn’t work that way, for men or women. No doubt we can be influenced by several factors, like the presence of a Prepper in our lives (husband, boyfriend, whatever) which could spark in us the wish to know more about what does it mean “being prepared”.
It happened exactly in this manner in my case. Being a couple stands to support and learn from each other for the greater good. Several years ago I had no idea of what a Prepper was, until my fiancee introduced me to the survival and prepping world. I was curious, and I wanted to learn more. I was – and still am I – eager to discover how to improve myself and how to face tough situations, which is a pretty naive way to say SHTF.
For this reason I started to read books, watch videos on YouTube, and purchase essential items.
It wasn’t a matter to please my partner, not at all. I realized that mishaps in life can be just around the corner, and being prepared is far from being a remote possibility. It is a true necessity.
I strongly recommend to any woman out there to avoid to manifest any “short-term”
interest towards Prepping to her fiancee. Accomplishing a personal desire of growth has nothing to do with that: it has to be sincere, and moved by specific needs and perspectives.
Every couple should share this point of view, as it can be pretty consistent when it comes to face and overcome any kind of hardship. Learn from the past to live in the present with consciousness
“Historia magistra vitae”. This old Latin motto stands for “History is a life teacher”. This is exceptionally true. In order to face the present, we must be aware of what happened in past times, and how people managed to solve situations.
One example above all is provided by Spanish Fever at the beginning of 1900. That pandemic used to have a lot of similarities with Covid-19. Being informed on how our ancestors reacted to it actually helps us to handle the current situation (all the differences in terms of technology, medical research and so on).
History is a cycle and books, documents, documentaries provide us all the aids to understand that being unprepared means being easily targeted, and weak. I’m not telling you that a Prepper must have a degree in History, not at all. I am just saying that being conscious of what happened in the past is a pretty consistent key to better see and understand the present.
Being caught in any panic attack during a SHTF event can be managed, for example, by the consciousness of the similarity of the present condition to something which already occurred in the past.
Personally speaking, this way of considering things helped me a lot. I felt less exposed to the series of events when Covid-19 started to spread.
Be prepared for the future
The future is tangible, if you really want something in life. The Female Prepper should fight for it, not to give up at the very first hardship. Being prepared means to fight what is really worth your efforts.
Your commitment to your own future is one of the most fundamental principles to your personal growth in Prepping. Or, perhaps, the beginning of your path in it.
You cannot count on a life where everything has been planned to the smallest details. Accepting any abrupt change in terms of events, relationships and so on needs to be considered and handled as a reality of facts.
Acceptance turns you into a strong woman. Working on it is your first duty, either from a personal perspective or from a prepping one.
Introspection
A female Prepper should employ her sensitivity in order to better discover herself.
I am taking about:
- Specific aspects of personality
- Desire to overcome fears
- Personal inclinations
- Skills gained
If your desire is to become a Female Prepper, you should start by creating a list based on the bullets above.
This will serve as a blueprint to define several points, such as:
- Goals you want to achieve in terms of knowledge and/or expertise (for example, foraging)
- Things you’re acquainted with (for example, survival skills)
Inwardness helps you to be 100% honest with yourself. Let’s say you managed to start a fire some years ago using a fire striker. In this case, you cannot claim to be proficient. You need to constantly refresh your knowledge, if you really want to master it, especially in tough weather conditions.
Basics a Female Prepper should master
A Female Prepper should own (and practice efficiently) basics of:
- Animal and man tracking
- Sewing and tailoring
- Employing blades
- Processing meat
- Shelter building
- Purifying water
- Fire starting
- Shooting
- Foraging
- First-aid
These are the most common ones.
Reading books and/or watching videos on YouTube is a good starting point, but not enough. Pragmatic skills need a lot of practice.
Some good classes run all over the world that can help you in learning from experienced Instructors. There is nothing worse than learning something without having the chance to see if we are actually doing well.
Having guidance, especially in our first steps, is mandatory, as is making mistakes. Don’t be ashamed of them. In the same manner, don’t be jealous of those girls on YouTube who are able to set a long term shelter. Be inspired to do the same, and work hard for it.
Gaining a skill with a lack of time spent in the field won’t help us to master the discipline. A SHTF event would not have mercy on us!
Common sense is a Female Prepper’s best friend
I often stress out the importance of common sense to my students when they approach the ancient art of reading, interpreting and following animal and human tracks. The ground gives us way all the information we need to understand what happened in a specific place, at a specific time.
I can say with no hesitation that common sense is your best friend and the most trust-able ally in a SHTF situation. What makes more sense to you, it is probably the best thing to do.
This is certainly true when we develop awareness about threats related to the development of situational awareness. Being rational leads us to make the best decisions, for us and our loved ones.
Situational awareness is connected with observation, and feminine sensitivity can play an essential role in it! Detecting what is “off balance” in a specific context can help us understand potential danger, related to a person (or a group of) or to a change of events. Think about a terrorist attack or the coming of a violent storm.
Every scene is fluid, therefore our mind should be able to catch every oddity like a movement, a strange behavior.
Teach and constantly train our minds to be:
- Accurate (in analyzing threats)
- Rational
- On alert
- Ready
Share preparedness with your family
There’s nothing bad in having concerns for the future and sharing them with your family. This doesn’t make you a weak individual, but a woman who cares about the well-being of the entire family.
Being prepared can be extended to all the members, as Morgan Rougue teaches in her channels. Being a mother is a responsibility, and teaching your children how to be ready to face any scenario is a solid part of education.
Being prepared is, once again, a matter of common sense and you can definitely share it with all your family members.
You can do it in several ways, such as:
- Planning activities to do together, simulating a bug out situation
- Organizing inside your house a place where to stockpile food
- Choosing and setting every family member’s bug out bag
- Making a list of dos and don’ts in a SHTF scenario
- Teaching them a skill you gained
- Making a list of priorities
- Learning a skill together
- Refreshing a skill
Redefining yourself as a Female Prepper
From the very first steps of this path, you will be amazed by how your mindset will change, attuning skills you will acquire (or refresh), as well as by the new “you” that you’ll discover day by day.
Being a Female Prepper will involve you in some systemic changes. It is unavoidable. A new attitude often means a new life where being healthy plays an essential part.
Nutrition
Health means having the means to face physical deprivation and fatigue. A balanced diet, and daily training will help you in that regard. Starting today is a necessity: procrastinating represents a failure of your personal growth.
Focus
A healthy body needs a healthy mind and vice-versa. Good nutrition will serve you properly to activate your mind, leading you to consider possible threats and dangers in the most rational and focused way as possible, as well as your activities in prepping.
Clothing & Gear
Needless to say that a Female Prepper requires specific clothing and gear which she can wear, test and handle according to her needs in terms of comfort, suitability and resistance.
Trendy clothing and gear aren’t fit for a SHTF situation, as you’ll literally trust your life to them: this point will be covered in a more extensive way in the upcoming articles.
Conclusion
A Prepper attitude is like starting a brand new life where situational awareness, self growth, skills, and the ability to face a SHTF event become part of you.
Kyt Lyn Walken
- Certified Wildlife Conservation Ranger at Conservation Ranger Operations Worldwide
- Official Representative & Instructor at Hull’s Tracking School
- Directora de Rastreo Humano por Dynamic Tracking (Spain)
- The way of Tracking – European Mantracking School
