Whether you're lounging at home, knee-deep in work, or simply grabbing a coffee on the go, life has a way of throwing surprises at you. And in those split-second moments of chaos, knowing what to do can be the difference between freezing up and stepping in with confidence. That’s where a few solid, life-saving nuggets come in handy. Because let’s face it, being prepared feels a lot better than being caught off guard.
That’s exactly why we’ve rounded up some helpful nuggets that are not only practical but also surprisingly easy to remember. They come from a viral video shared by Ashley Washington, a photographer and professor who’s built a following of over 168k on TikTok. In her two-part series, she shares straightforward tips and little-known facts that just might save a life.
#21
If you were looking at a tornado and it doesn't look like it's moving left or right, it's moving towards you. In this case, you need to be prepared.
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14points
Poisoning might seem rare, but it’s more common than you think. “And TV shows have taught people the wrong things,” Dr. Pradhan noted. Never induce vomiting unless a medical expert tells you to.
“Don’t try to suck out p****n or give random antidotes.” Call your local p****n control or emergency services immediately. Treatment depends entirely on the substance involved. Guessing could make things worse.
#22
If you have a child who's in an emergency, tell them to yell something like a curse word, because they're much more likely to get help if they yell a curse word than just yelling help on the playground like all children do.
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14points
#23
If you're ever in a lightning storm and your skin tingles or your hair stands on end, it means a lightning strike is about to hit. You need to get low on the ground or move quickly. When it comes to gun safety, treat every gun like it is loaded. I cannot express this enough. Accidental gunfire kills a lot of people every year. Treat every gun like it is loaded. And don't touch other people's guns or weapons unless you have explicit permission and you know how to work them. Just be safe around guns.
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14points
#24
Don't jump into water you can't see through. You never know what's under there. There could be rocks or glass. Anything, anything. People get injured all the time from jumping into water they cannot see through, stepping on broken glass, jumping onto a rock. Do not jump into water that you cannot see through.
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13points
Heart attacks can hit suddenly and leave you unsure what to do. “Call emergency services immediately,” she said. Try to keep the person calm, sitting upright, and alert. Don’t give them food or water unless advised. “Aspirin might help, but only if they’re not allergic and conscious.” Every second matters in these cases. Your calm response could help keep them stable until help arrives.
#25
If you think you or someone else you know is having a stroke, the acronym FAST can save your life. The first symptom is face drooping on one or both sides. The second is arms. Try to raise both arms. If you are unable to raise one or the other, you may be having a stroke. The next is S slurred speech, and then T is for time. You need to get to an emergency room as soon as possible.
13points
#26
And when it comes to being in vulnerable situations, don't get in your car and get on your phone or sit there forever. Get in your car and leave. Pick your head up. Don't be on your phone inside or outside of a store. Be aware of what's going on around you because people can easily take advantage of that.
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12points
#27
Water will make a grease fire worse. Try to put a lid on the pot to get rid of the oxygen. Or find another way to get the oxygen from out of the fire. But water will only make the fire worse.
12points
Finally, Dr. Pradhan recommends carrying basic emergency info on you. It can be a card in your wallet or a note on your phone lock screen. “List your allergies, chronic conditions, and emergency contact.” In a crisis, responders don’t have time to dig for answers. “This little thing can speak for you when you can’t,” she added. It’s a simple habit with a potentially huge impact.
So, which of these posts did you find most useful? Have you ever faced an emergency where quick thinking helped? Let us know in the comments, and maybe send this post to someone you care about. Because the more people who know what to do, the better off we all are.
#28
If you are exposed to bats in any way, or if you are bitten by a wild animal, please go get rabies treatment. Even if you're around a bat and you don't think you've been bitten, you can get bitten by a bat and not feel it, and rabies is almost 100% lethal. And once you know you have rabies, the way you go out is you stop accepting water, food, and medical help. So it is extremely important if you are bitten by a wild animal, or if you have been around bats of any kind, to please go get checked out and go get rabies treatment just in case.
10points
#29
Unfortunately, it is very easy to drug somebody in their drink. If you are at a bar or a club or anywhere where you are drinking in public, please cover your drink. They make things for this. Cover your drink, take it with you. Keep an eye on it the entire time. It is very easy to drug somebody without them knowing it. Don't give your drink to someone to hold. Either give it back to the bartender or take it with you. Do not leave it alone with anybody. And if you're in a bar, you can always ask For an angel shot. There's different versions of this that mean different things. But if you ask for an angel shot, typically bartenders know that that means you need some sort of help.
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10points
#30
If you need to, you can perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself. You make a fist with your thumbs up and get it right underneath your rib cage. You can do this on yourself if you need to.
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10points
#31
People die from getting trampled to death very regularly, a lot of times at concerts or festivals. If you were at a concert or festival and you're being pushed around, please make sure you have your footing. And if you are thrown to the ground, try as soon as you can to get up or to cover important organs like your head, your face, your neck, your chest, because people really do get trampled on the ground.
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10points
#32
If you have to pack a wound for any major bleeding, it is generally advised not to try to pack head or chest wounds for the risk of doing extra damage. If you are in communities where there are drug users, or if you are a drug user of any kind, please keep with you fentanyl test strips and Narcan. You may not know when you'll need it, but it could save your life if you do. Please test everything that you put in your body and make sure that you are not ingesting something like fentanyl. A tiny minuscule amount of fentanyl can k**l you, and there's really no way to measure when it's produced, how potent it is, or how much is in your supply. So please, test everything that you get. It really could save your life.
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9points
#33
If you are ever pulled out by a rip current, which if you have been, you know it is very scary; if you're ever pulled out by a rip current, do not try to swim directly back to the shore. Try to swim perpendicular to the shore or, you know, in the same way that the shore is. That will get you further than if you're trying to swim directly back.
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9points
#34
If you're ever in a falling elevator, bending your knees or trying to jump at the last second won't actually save you. If you lay flat on the ground and cover your head and face, that is your best chance for survival.
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9points
#35
Something you should always keep with you aside from having smoke alarms or having carbon monoxide detectors, is a gas detector. If you have a gas leak, sometimes you may not know it. I can smell if there was a gas leak. We had one recently. I can smell a gas leak. But if you can't, it is very important to have gas detectors to make sure that you are not going to accidentally explode your house. Because something as simple as a light switch turning on while there's a gas leak can cause a major explosion.
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8points
#36
I know a lot of places open carry is legal and a lot of people concealed carry. But if you have a gun and it is made aware that you have a gun, you are more likely to be shot during an assault or an attack. If you do carry, please carry concealed. Do not open carry. You are much more likely to be targeted during an attack.
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8points
#37
If you are over the age of 45, it is advised that you do not shovel snow because you are at higher risk of a cardiovascular event and you can have a heart attack from doing excess work out in the cold. If you are driving and the gas gets stuck, the accelerator gets stuck, the best thing that you can do is put both feet on the brake, push as hard as you can, put your car into neutral, and if possible, try to pull the emergency brake and call 911 immediately.
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8points
#38
If you think you are having a heart attack, which, please look up the symptoms—the symptoms for heart attacks are very different from men to women. For men it is the standard, like chest tightness, feeling like something sitting on your chest, having trouble breathing, arm pain or numbness. For women it is similar symptoms to that. But one of the biggest symptoms for women is nausea. So please, if you have any doubts, get it checked out. But what you can do on your way to the hospital, if you have no other way to get there, you know where you're unable to call 911, is to cough really hard and to keep coughing from deep in your chest. This can help you if you have access to baby aspirin. Chewing baby aspirin can also help widen your blood vessels a little bit so that you can buy yourself some time.
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7points
#39
Keep Narcan on you. Narcan is for o****d, um, overdose rescues. But you never know when you or somebody else could need it. You can't keep Narcan in your car cause it has to stay in a very medium temperature range. But please keep it with you. You can also Narcan a dog if you have to. There's very few situations in which that would need to be done. But you can Narcan a dog. You can Narcan people more than once. Um, but yeah, that can help you if you ever have an o****d overdose or if you run across somebody who does. Just keep in mind, people typically come out of being Narcan’d very alert, very aggressive, angry. Um, so just keep that in mind. Be safe
7points
#40
Alcohol, tobacco, and drug withdrawal can be fatal. If you have a serious issue with alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, please do not try to quit cold turkey without medical assistance. This can kill you in some cases.
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7points
