The thought is everywhere around us. We can put our heads in the sand and pretend we are not at risk, that nothing bad will happen to us in the area we work, play, and live. In reality, that kind of thinking can disrupt our ability to have Situational Awareness. Situational Awareness is the ability to observe your surroundings and make detailed assessments about your environment, it is a choice. Because I am a Damsel in Distress pro, I know that self-defense is important, especially for women. I also know that that a personal safety product can make a big difference in a woman’s confidence, as well as in her ability to protect herself.
Unfortunately, we cannot continue to think nothing will happen to us where we live anymore. We need to consciously choose to have Situational Awareness. We must pay attention to our surroundings and tell ourselves to pay attention so that our brain will scan our surroundings and look for potential dangers. When our brain finds something that is not normal, it sends us a signal, which we call a lot of things: a gut feeling, instinct, intuition or just knowing something is not right. And, with Situational Awareness as our primary stance, we understand that it is better to say “I know it,” than “I knew it!”
OODA Loop – The Safety Decision Process
The OODA Loop was developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel, John Boyd. Whether we realize it or not, we go through this decision process many times a day. This is how it works:
- Observe – Know what is going on around you.
- Orient – Know where you are.
- Decide – Determine what needs to be done.
- Act – Take action on what you decided needed to be done.
When we engage this process with Situational Awareness, we keep ourselves safe. When we don’t, when we are distracted by other things, that’s where danger lurks. What do distractions look like? Here are some examples:
- Texting while driving. You only have to see the billboards along the highways or listen to EMTs to understand the consequence of this.
- Walking while looking at our cell phones. We have all seen people run into something, or someone, while focused on their cell phones. If you haven’t, check out the continual loops on viral videos. They make is look funny, but the consequences, in reality, are dangerous.
- Relaxing in familiar places. This might seem odd to be listed as a distraction, but most assaults occur in places that are familiar to us.
How to Stay Safe Using Situational Awareness
Staying safe is a result of making self-defense and security a priority. Self-defense is 90% awareness and 10% training. While some might take martial arts or other classes because they see that 10% training as physical prowess, there is another way. It includes engaging your mind and attention to sharpen your Situational Awareness.
You can practice this fun exercise to help keep your situational awareness sharp:
Close your eyes – and keep them closed. Now go through these steps:
- Try to remember where and how many exits there are in the room.
- Try to remember what color the person on your left is wearing.
- Now think about the people in the room.
- How many are there?
- Which of them are male? Female?
- Do any of them wear glasses?
- What are some of their physical characteristics?
- Ask yourself if you could get out of the room or building if your eyes were closed.
You get the idea, be aware of your surroundings. Be observant and pay attention to the people around you and your physical surroundings.
Personal Safety Products
What do you think of when you hear the words, personal safety product? Guns are the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, I used to think of guns as our only option. I am not against guns, at all, but I now know that there are many more options to look into today. Moreover, I know there are products that some women would be more comfortable carrying than a gun.
Damsel in Distress offers many products, including:
- Stun guns,
- Pepper spray,
- Personal alarms,
- Concealed weapon purses,
- Break away key chains,
- Digital protection products, and more.
In addition, for daily use and even when you travel, we have products for the woman on the go. One of our most popular products is the Road Trip, it has 8 personal safety functions and fits nicely in the console of your vehicle. Our Step Off is a Portable Entry Alarm. I will be telling you more about these products and how to use them. I have stories to share and testimony from people who use the products. I will also bring you interviews with police officer and others who have first-hand experience.
Today, as a beginning step, I suggest that you pay closer attention to your surroundings and the people in proximity to you. Improve your Situational Awareness and listen carefully for those signals we feel in the pit of our stomachs. You do not want to be a soft target. Prevent yourself from ever being a ‘damsel in distress’ by taking the steps to protect yourself. If you want more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Donna