Preventative Measures
We make emergency kits for dangerous situations, like if our car breaks down in a blizzard, or there's a major earthquake, or if we become lost while hiking. How about an emergency kit for avoiding stressful situations? There are certain things you can have in your home, car, or bag to be prepared when stress strikes.
For instance:
At your house, keep:
- A few toys, if you don't have children of your own. When unexpected visitors include children, you'll be glad you have them.
- Stamps. Because mailing a late bill or last-minute birthday card becomes much more stressful when you need to make a trip to the Post Office just for one stamp.
- A set place to keep important things that you tend to misplace. For me, this means having a certain place I put my house keys and Maddy's leash when I walk in the door. If I don't do this, I'm inevitably late to the next place I'm going because I can't find them.
In you car, keep:
- Comfortable shoes. Even a pair of cheap flip-flops will feel like a lifesaver when you find yourself away from home and in shoes that are killing your feet.
- A map of your city and state. Phones lose service and GPS's malfunction. I have both a web-ready phone and a GPS, but still have needed to rely on the paper map in my glove compartment on more than one occasion.
In your bag, keep:
- A small non-perishable snack. When I'm hungry, I get crabby and forgetful. There will be situations when you're feeling horrible, you really need to be at your best, and a little snack will make everything better.
- Important phone numbers (again, because cell phones lose service. And get dropped in toilets.) Pay phones are useless if you don't know anyone's phone number to call for help.
What else should be on these lists?
-Brigitte
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Comments
Eric Jaffa Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I keep two pairs of sunglasses in my car.
That way, if I on rare occasion I leave one pair of sunlasses somewhere else, I'll still have a pair of sunglasses available in my car.
Brett Otte Thursday, May 27, 2010
Backup your phone #'s on your phone. In most instances it is free! Get Backup Assistant on your Verizon Wireless handset. Then it's easy to transfer your contacts to another phone & they're backed up on your My Verizon account too.
Blargal Thursday, May 27, 2010
Hello,Brigitte.
In my car, I always keep coins, to use at a public phone. I think of them as phone keys.
I have flashlights placed around the house, so should the power go out at night, I can get to a flashlight quickly, and see if it is an in house failure, or something outside.
romeo Monday, May 31, 2010
at home keep a small safe
in your car always keep $10 in spare change and a portable ionizer in case you need to feel like you are at the beach or by the ocean while on the road
keep pillow in the car and a pulsing strobe beacon