There are those quintessential skills that we can all agree every human should have, including wilderness and survival skills. However, in this day and age, there are another set of skills we should acquire in addition to basic survival skills. Don’t underestimate the importance of being prepared for an emergency. In this list, you will find all the skills you need to be self-reliant in our information era, as well as emergency-related skills. Here are 10 things everyone needs to know how to do.
1. You should know how to start a fire without matches-
You never know when this might come in handy- fire is one of the most important elements for survival for a human being- providing warmth, light, and energy.
2. You should know basic survival skills-
Should you ever be stranded in a forest or forced to survive outside, you’d want to know the best places to get water, what you can and cannot eat in the wild, where to build a makeshift bed, how to catch a fish, how to correctly cross a river, how to keep your core body temperature high… and much more. Get a survival guide and begin learning.
3. You should know how to grow your own vegetables-
Even if you live in a city, you should make an effort to learn to grow your own food- including all kinds of vegetables, herbs and fruits. It takes a lot of skill, experience and time to make these plants yield valuable output- so if you’re interested in learning this- don’t waste another minute. You might need this skill one day.
4. You should know how to swim-
If you don’t know how to swim yet, you need to seriously consider learning. There are a number of emergency situations where you might need to swim in order to survive or help someone else in the water.
5. You should know how to change a tire-
It’s possible you get a flat while on a trip one day, with no access to a car repair place; perhaps even stranded in the middle of nowhere. What if no one on this trip knew how to change the tire? Changing a tire is something you can learn how to do in a matter of minutes that could save you lots of time and headaches on your next road trip.
6. You should know how to jump-start a car-
This isn’t as easy as it seems. If you watched your parents do this in the past but never learned for yourself, now’s your chance. Don’t be unprepared when the need for it arises. It’s very useful knowledge to have, and very common to need this skill one day.
7. You should know how to cook an egg (correctly)-
Too many people are ruining breakfast by mucking this up. C’mon people- it’s time to learn the right way of doing this. Runny or undercooked eggs are not only bad for your taste buds, but they could also increase your chances of getting salmonella.
8. You should know how to perform CPR-
Do you want to save a life? 70 percent of people feel helpless during a cardiac emergency, and here’s another surprising statistic- the life you save is most likely the life of someone you love because 4 out of 5 cardiac arrests occur at home.
9. You should know how to lift your own weight-
If you can lift your own weight, it also means you can lift a lot of things without having to rely on someone else. Having strength is always a handy trait to have and, in case of an emergency involving hanging off a ledge, you’ll be able to pull yourself out of trouble with ease.
10. You should know how to defend yourself against single and multiple assailants-
Why? Learning self-defense makes you more aware of your surroundings, first of all. You also stop taking physical confrontations for granted. You’re more likely able to avoid a fight effectively if you’ve learned the art of self-defense in the first place.
