The UK is a fairly peaceable place. In the normal course of events, the threat of physical violence is pretty rare. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the incidence of criminal violence has held fairly steady in recent years – with the principal increase identified as assaults resulting in only minor injury.
Nevertheless, the ONS recognises not only that crimes of violence exist but that the statistics may be distorted from time to time by acts of terrorism – such as the Manchester Arena bombing or the London bombings of July 2005.
By their very nature, these are totally unexpected events. But you can prepare for them. They are incidents that underscore the importance of self-awareness as a critical self-defence mechanism.
Nobody saw it coming
An article in the Financial Times on the 16th of April 2020 suggested that the main reason we fail to prepare for the unexpected is because of a “normalcy bias”. Things will continue as normal to such an extent that nobody anticipates the unexpected – the kind of thinking that says “it couldn’t happen to me”.
In reality, though, the world is a thoroughly unpredictable place. A realisation and self-awareness that anything might happen – and might happen to you – may help to keep you at least one step ahead of the game.
Awareness as your defence
If you are expecting to encounter physical violence, one of your first reactions might be a reflex to fight back – your preparedness for self-defence through physical combat, suggests the American website Self Defense Tutorials.
Topping any skills in the martial arts, however, is your own self-awareness, suggests the website. This is the kind of awareness – a more or less constant consciousness of what is happening around you – that keeps you alert to any situation before it develops. That way, you are not surprised by whatever happens, not caught off-guard, but are ready for it.
Self-awareness, in short, is giving you a constant heads-up about what is going on around you and approaching your personal space.
Training in situational awareness
Don’t be mistaken into thinking that you are either born with self-awareness – or not. It is something you can train for, something you can develop – as a skill, just like any other.
This is the self-awareness that might be best described as situational awareness – an ability to “read” any situation you find yourself in, interpret what is or isn’t happening, assess any potential threats, and prepare to ward off or defend yourself against those threats.
This helps to overcome any normalcy bias and, instead, puts you in a frame of mind where anything can happen in any given situation. It translates that “nobody saw it coming” to “you saw it coming”. And having seen it coming, of course, you can be prepared to take evasive or defensive action.
By making full use of all your senses – including your hearing and peripheral vision – you can train yourself to predict certain events by reading the sequence of actions or even just the body language of those around you. If you are in any doubt about doing that or simply want to test your ability to make that kind of situational analysis, just go to your local shopping centre, observe those around you, and discover how easy it is likely to be to predict what they will do next.
There are many ways you can then insert yourself into – or extricate yourself from – the situation that develops. It may involve an understanding and knowledge of what passes for normal and expected activity and behaviour on the part of others. But you might also want to draw on your instincts as to what will happen next and who the main actors are likely to be.
This is all part and parcel of your training in situational analysis and the development of your self-awareness.
Further reading: Can I see your hands
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