It's impossible to prepare for everything but that doesn't mean we have to face uncertainty with our naked butts.
Josh Otusanya is an internet personality who has captivated TikTok with quite a variety of different video series, like 'Small habits that can make someone dislike you' or 'Better questions to ask your crush.'
However, it's his uploads on survival that often get the most attention. Otusanya shares practical advice that can potentially save a person's life in everyday situations (getting chased by a swarm of bees) and extraordinary occurrences (getting kidnapped), and I know we would all like to never have to use these tactics. But it's probably best we know them.
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If you call 911 for an emergency, say your location first. So if the phone cuts off, they know where to find you. "What is your emergency?" I'm at 222, Fake Address Drive, and I'm being held ca-.
If you're swimming and find yourself so deep or disoriented that you don't know which way is up, blow some bubbles, then follow the bubbles. They always go up.
Otusanya describes his TikTok content as a mixture of life advice and comedy. "I have several years of experience as a stand-up comedian so I often use comedy to drive home those life lessons," he told Bored Panda.
"Up to [starting this series], I made a lot of videos related to building up self-confidence, improving communication skills, and more. I wanted to experiment [and create something that could] improve someone's life by potentially saving it one day. I've received a lot of messages from viewers who said tips from that series legitimately helped them avoid danger which is great to hear."
There's an emergency and you or someone else needs help. Don't just yell, "help". Instead be specific like "you with the bad outfit, call an ambulance". You'll avoid the "bystander effect" where if people aren't called out specifically they'll freeze and not know what to do.
If you're ever choking in a public area, don't try to avoid causing a scene by going to the bathroom. Most deaths are people found in the bathroom because there were too polite to seek help. Thank me later.
Of course, such a project requires its fair share of research. Watching a few shows with Bear Grylls is nowhere near enough. It's something Otusanya has to constantly work on.
"I have a master list of potential video topics with random notes/information I come across for future video ideas," he said. "I source my information from a combination of books I read and audiobooks I listen to as well as various videos and documentaries, interesting conversations with people, articles related to random questions I want to know the answer to, and more!"
If you're riding as a passenger in a car, never rest your feet on the dashboard. If an accident happens and the airbags deploy, your kneecaps will fly into your skull.
Reminds me of the x-ray shown in a documantary of a young woman with the volume k**b of the car radio in her head after her car crashed. This was in the 1950s.
If you ever get kidnapped, leave behind as many traces as possible, clothes, jewelry, anything that helps search dogs, pick up your scent and ultimately find you.
Also: be a pain in the ass! Kick, scream, yell that you don’t know this person, fight like you’re life depends on it, because once they succeed in getting you secured/to another location, that may very well be it! The key is to prevent them from taking you in the first place, so always look alert and make yourself a “bad target” to acquire!
If a guy takes a pregnancy test and it comes back positive, go see a doctor immediately. There's a chance that he could have testicular cancer.
If you're getting chased by a swarm of bees, don't jump in a lake or a body of water. They'll just wait for you above the water. Instead, keep running. They'll stop chasing you when they feel like they've won.
If you're in a lightning storm and your hair starts floating, it means you're about to get hit by lightning. So find shelter immediately.
If you're relaxing at your house and you smell something that reminds you of fish or pee, call an electrician immediately, house could be on the verge of having an electrical fire.
That has happened to me, but it turned out I accidentally peed in my pants.
If you see a sign that says beware of pickpockets or thieves, don't instinctively patch your pocket, or check your belongings, thieves, and robbers, use these signs to know who to attack from afar.
When I was about 14, I was on a bus once in a high pickpocketing area and had my money tied around my neck in a little bag that I had tucked under my shirt. I actually felt a dude’s hand creeping under them hem of my shirt and at first I thought he was trying to grope me, but then I remembered the money pouch and realized he was probably trying to rob me instead (or as well as grope me). I alerted one of my friends with a look and then grabbed the guy’s hand before he could go too far, digging my nails into his skin so hard I drew blood as I gave him a look that warned “do it and it’ll only get worse for you.” He immediately dropped his hand back out and fled as soon as the bus stopped, and I kept my money tucked that way the rest of the trip.
Next time you enter a building, look for an exit that people don't use often in an emergency. When everyone's going out the main exit you take the one less traveled. that extra time can make all the difference.
If it's hot outside, avoid leaving plastic water bottles inside your car. If the sun hits the bottle at the right angle, it could eventually start a fire.
If you're cooking on the stove and the stove catches fire, do not use water. First, turn off the stove, then cover the pot with the lid. If you don't have a lid, dump baking soda.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, and smell gas in your house, don't turn on the lights! Just go outside and call for an emergency. Because if your house has a gas leak, a spark from a light switch could blow up the house.
If you're at your house at night and feel like somebody broke in, turn your lights off. So they can't see you. And you know your way around your place in the dark better than they do, use it to your advantage.
This is really bad advice. If someone is in your house, you turn on all lights and make lots of noise to scare them off. If you confront them, chances are you will come off worse as they've a lot to lose.
If you have the option of safely getting to the light switch, you probably have the option of safely exiting your home. Choose the latter.
What if the lights are already off? I feel like I should turn it on and startle them...any how you look at it...I would know my house better.
Right? We only have 2 small nightlights usually, kitchen and bathroom. We are on a well lit corner and have black out drapes in the bedrooms. I've scared my husband because the layout of our apartment is a circle. Our cats loved chasing and hiding from each other. A burglar is going to get ambushed by me and my metal baseball bat before I can turn on a light.
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I don't worry because I have dogs. I can sleep soundly, knowing they'll bark like crazy if anything's wrong.
Terrible advice! Start by calling the police and putting the phone on speaker, then yell your address and what you think is going on, Turn on every light you’ve got access to, barricade the door and wait for help. If the phone is on speakerphone the criminal hears the police talking to you. They will run. If they were a figment of your imagination, the cops will applaud your calling for help rather than risking your life like an idiot.
Great. The burglars can't see you. But you don't see the intruders either. So you don't know how many there are and where they are and what weapons they have with them. What stupid advice. And never forget: In the dark, the post of your bed looks forward to your big toe!
It's bold of you to assume I know my way around my house in the dark.
Screw that. Turn on ALL the lights, and blind the bastards. Then start carrying on like you have some major violent mental illness, and watch them run out. Disclaimer - this would only work in a country like Australia, where most housebreakers don't carry guns.
Totally different circumstances here but it ties in with you knowing the layout of your house, or in our case our building. There was a bad fire in our block of flats, in a ground floor flat, we live on the top floor, there are 12 flats in the building total over 4 floors, and at the time only about 4 of the flats were occupied. We stayed in our flat with the door closed to wait it out but there was a knock at our door, opened it to a policeman who had arrived at the scene before the fire brigade. He told us we needed to evacuate so we grabbed towels, etc to cover our nose and mouth with and left our flat. Now, our flat is the first flat you arrive at when you come up the stairs and we only managed a few feet before we realised we had no idea where we were going, the smoke was that bad you couldn't see anything and we couldn't even make our way to the stairs to even try to get out of the building. We pulled the policeman into our flat with us and waited it out. (cont.)
(cont.) Fireman came to the door and took the policeman out to an ambulance for medical treatment, think he needed oxygen because of the smoke inhalation. We were fine. I really believe we saved his life that night by bringing him into our flat with us. He'd never have made it back down himself, he would have gotten confused with the smoke and God only knows what could have happened to him. We lived in the building and we couldn't even make our way to the stairs! That night really frightened me! Luckily, my partner is a builder and he knew how our building was built (concrete bisons between the floors?) and he knew we'd be perfectly safe staying put! Now, the front doors of all the flats are all fire doors so it's even safer now!
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There was an article in Belgium last week, a shop owner had heard a couple of burglars in the night. He confronted them but they were armed, got scared and shot the guy. Better to just stay in bed if you hear something downstairs.
Keep a baseball bat handy. Burglars are more afraid of a Louisville Slugger than a handgun. You are more likely to score a direct hit with the bat than a gun.
If they have gear like night vision goggles then your in a far worse situation then a simple break in.
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How about I keep my lights the f**k on!! And take out my tactical Mossberg 500 just a thought
If you or someone, you know, has a car, always leave the car keys near your bed. So if someone breaks in, you can press your car alarm and scare them away.
If you're cleaning a cat's litter box, avoid using bleach! A cat's pee has a chemical in it called ammonia. If it mixes with bleach, it creates a deadly gas that can kill you.
Whenever you're walking to your car, before you get inside, always check your back seat and be aware of your surroundings. In case someone is hiding, preparing to kidnap you.
Some of these are valid. Some I have used ...a few are clearing things someone made up without any real world evidence.
Agree, some of these are valid, some are just..entertaining. But those little hints that could probably save your life are cool-like when you have a blue reflection in your eye instead of a red on a photo could (COULD!!) be a sign that there's something with your brain. Or increasing growth of hair on a woman's upper lip could (COULD!!) be a sign for cervical cancer. This stuff..Or, you can 'read' fingernails-depending on whether the grooves on it are horizontal or vertical, straight or crooked or whatever, you can recognize the state of health and possible deficiencies, like if your body takes too little oxygen or so (not when drowning or choking-haha)..
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Ok I don't know why people are saying these are fake, because most of them are very true. I'm just confused how no one knows them. I can't be the only one who watches crime documentaries and reads Stephen King and Dean Koontz
Two of my favorites! Koontz isn't often cited by women that I know. He does have some odd stuff!
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Here we go again with tikfock bull****. These folks are even more annoying than "influencers".
And yet, here you are, reading an article about them, taking time out of your obviously very busy day to comment on them... :)
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This was a terrifically bad post. half of the suggestions are either stupid, insane or outright dangerous
A fellow panda on here by the name of S says to this "And yet, here you are, reading an article about them, taking time out of your obviously very busy day to comment on them... :)"
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If you are ever trapped in your car during a fire or entering water, breaking the window is very difficult. Remove the front headrest, the metal legs are pointed and can break a side window if you strike it in the corner
As said by my fellow panda S "And yet, here you are, reading an article about them, taking time out of your obviously very busy day to comment on them... :)"
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Some of these are valid. Some I have used ...a few are clearing things someone made up without any real world evidence.
Agree, some of these are valid, some are just..entertaining. But those little hints that could probably save your life are cool-like when you have a blue reflection in your eye instead of a red on a photo could (COULD!!) be a sign that there's something with your brain. Or increasing growth of hair on a woman's upper lip could (COULD!!) be a sign for cervical cancer. This stuff..Or, you can 'read' fingernails-depending on whether the grooves on it are horizontal or vertical, straight or crooked or whatever, you can recognize the state of health and possible deficiencies, like if your body takes too little oxygen or so (not when drowning or choking-haha)..
Load More Replies... Ok I don't know why people are saying these are fake, because most of them are very true. I'm just confused how no one knows them. I can't be the only one who watches crime documentaries and reads Stephen King and Dean Koontz
Two of my favorites! Koontz isn't often cited by women that I know. He does have some odd stuff!
Load More Replies... Here we go again with tikfock bull****. These folks are even more annoying than "influencers".
And yet, here you are, reading an article about them, taking time out of your obviously very busy day to comment on them... :)
Load More Replies... This was a terrifically bad post. half of the suggestions are either stupid, insane or outright dangerous
A fellow panda on here by the name of S says to this "And yet, here you are, reading an article about them, taking time out of your obviously very busy day to comment on them... :)"
Load More Replies... If you are ever trapped in your car during a fire or entering water, breaking the window is very difficult. Remove the front headrest, the metal legs are pointed and can break a side window if you strike it in the corner
As said by my fellow panda S "And yet, here you are, reading an article about them, taking time out of your obviously very busy day to comment on them... :)"
Load More Replies... 