As a teenager, you’re expected to learn so much in so little time. While any skill is good to learn, don’t miss out on the important, life-saving ones. Skills such as the following are essential to learn now so you’ll be prepared for the rest of your life.
First Aid
Don’t think that just because you’re young that you can’t save lives. If there aren’t any adults or people around who know first-aid, you can provide the care someone desperately needs. By knowing first-aid, you can keep a friend alive before paramedics reach you. Some first-aid skills that would be great to learn include how to bandage someone, how to make a sling, how to stop someone from choking, and how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). You should also learn how to tell when someone is going through shock or if they have a concussion so that they can get the help they need.
Swimming
Swimming lessons can help you learn many skills that may help save a life one day. Even just knowing how to swim can help you stay alive in bodies of water and direct other people who are struggling to swim. If you’re in a lake and your leg cramps up, you could drown. However, if you know how to float on your back, you could prevent that from happening. Swimming also strengthens your lungs for better breathing, upping your endurance in all areas of exercise.
Navigation
If you and your friends get lost on a hike, you’ll need to know how to get out. Oftentimes, you won’t have cellular data for your phone in the more remote parts of nature. This means you can’t rely on Google or Apple Maps to get you out of a place. Getting stuck in the outdoors without food or water can kill you, so you should learn how to identify stars if you’re lost at night or figure out which way the sun rises or sets if it’s daytime to determine what direction you should go from there. Perhaps consider bringing a map or compass on any trip you go on, so you won’t find yourself without a way to get home.
By being trained for emergencies or dangerous situations, you can save you and your friends when hard situations arise. Consider taking a course that teaches one of these life-saving skills. You’ll be glad in the future you did, when some kind of emergency inevitably does arise!
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