Self Defense

What Does it Mean to Be Aware?

Be aware! This is one of the most oft-repeated pieces of advice for self-defense. But what does it really mean and how do you do it?

Let’s assume that you have all of your preventive measures in place. Locked your doors, carry your cell phone, keeping your distance from folks you don’t know. That’s prevention. Now you can add perception – awareness of the area around you. If you pay attention to the periphery of where you are, you have a better chance of seeing the bad guy before he gets too close to you.

Awareness is using all of your senses to attune to what is going on right here, and right now. That’s all that matters when you’re in a marginal area like a parking lot or walking down the street.

First, be aware that crime happens and the bad guy may be out there. If you are aware of this, it will help you avoid him.

Second, it’s important to focus on your surroundings using every sense you’ve been given. Use your eyes to look around, keeping your head up and looking alert? Use your ears to hear cars coming up behind you or people screaming. This is really hard to do if you’re walking around with your earbuds in blaring “Bad Romance.” Use your sense of smell to help determine if things are normal (what if there’s smoke?) Know where your hands are (hopefully open and in front of you, as opposed to behind you or in your pockets) and what you are holding in them (your keys? Mp3 player? Grocery cart?) By tuning in on what’s happening around you now, you become a “harder” target for the bad guy.

It’s pretty simple, right? So, why don’t we do it? We forget, or are distracted by what’s going on in our head instead of around us. When we’re ruminating over the argument with our partner or going over the grocery list for the stop on the way home, we are not in the present place. Here’s the bad news: if you brain is in the past or in the future, it is not in the present to help protect your body.

So how do we remember? Same way we remember anything – practice. You can use something in the surrounding environment to help you remember. One of my favorites is to use a doorway to help me to remember to be present. Each time I step into the threshold, I pause for a split second, imperceptibly shake my head to clear the distractions (hey, it works for me!) and choose to focus on my surroundings. Suddenly, the room seems brighter and I’m walking a little taller.

Now, you know it takes 21 days of constant practice to make anything a habit, this included. But before you know it, your practice will be habit. The more minutes in the day that you are aware, the greater your chances are of avoiding a violent encounter.

 filler