Awareness

Awareness is your greatest defensive asset and a powerful tool for prevention. By developing and sharpening your awareness, you can significantly reduce your risk. Failing to stay attuned to your surroundings can leave you vulnerable. Cultivate a heightened sense of your mental, emotional, environmental, and physical state to make safer, smarter decisions in any situation.

1. Mental Awareness

Where are you?
What is happening around you?
What potential situations exist around you?
Where is your destination?
What activities / events are taking place at this destination?
Who is around you?
What are the physical characteristics of the people around you?
Does anything seem abnormal in your environment?

2. Emotional Awareness

What emotional state are you in?
Is it possible your emotional state, which is reflected in appearance, could either deter or create conflict?
Would your emotional state affect how you handle conflict?
What are the emotional states of people around you?
If you are dealing with someone who is already angry or upset, what could happen if you counter his/her anger with your own anger?
- What would happen if you countered that same angry person with a positive, empathetic response?

3. Environmental Awareness

Where are you?
What are your surroundings?
Is the environment quiet or noisy?
What surface are you on (ice, sand, grass, water, concrete, etc.)?
Are there objects that could be used as weapons, if necessary?
Are there barriers to any escape route or to any movement I might want to make?

4. Physical Awareness

Would you rather run, fight, or play possum?
Are you a good runner? Are you a good fighter?
What are your strengths and weaknesses relative to self-defense?
Are you capable of executing more than one technique at a time?
Can you perform combinations with little or no hesitation?
What body parts can be used as an effective weapon?
Where are the most effective targets for these weapons?
What weapons do you carry with you every day (pen, keys, etc.)?

It’s essential to ask yourself key questions and engage all your senses—vision, hearing, touch, smell, and intuition—when practicing awareness. Sharpening your senses keeps your mind alert and your thinking clear, which is critical in high-pressure situations.

Equally important is learning to manage the physiological effects of adrenaline. By staying calm and focused, you can maintain your concentration and make sound decisions, even in challenging moments.

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