Whether you love your job or just survive it, it’s a place that likely soaks up just over a third of all your waking hours. As such, we can often be lulled into a false sense of complacency or boredom that can be very problematic when responding to an emergency situation. In this article, we will discuss how to keep a self-defense mentality honed and ready for when you need it.
Step 1: Know Your Entrances And Exits At All Times
Just like when you board an aircraft, the flight attendant is always quick to point out the emergency exits at the front, middle, and rear of the cabin. The reason for this is simple: you must be able to move towards the closest exit to you instinctively. You know where the others are if one is obstructed, blocked, or too dangerous to attempt.
Always look for ways in and out of every room at your work. If you are in a room with only one entrance, stay attentive to those that may obstruct it. That person or persons may not be a threat, but they may become an unwitting obstacle that you may have to push through in the event of a threat.
Step 2: Use The Buddy System
A big source of potential discontent is usually the workplace’s parking lot. If you go into work before the sun rises and get out after it sets, you’re sort of stuck out in the open on your way to your car or bus stop. Getting ambushed on your way out to your car or while getting in your vehicle is a particularly bad situation.
If possible, get someone to walk with you out to your car. The most convenient is if you’re naturally departing at the same time as another coworker and it’s not too inconvenient to either party, wait until that person is ready to go and go together. At a minimum, you may have numbers on your side. If anything, you are making yourself a harder target, and you’re also helping out your coworker at the same time.
Step 3: Break A Routine
We are all creatures of habit. We all develop our daily routines that help set up our expectations for the day. Something as simple as parking in the same spot every day when you go to work can become a habit that can be used against you. Make a mental note to switch up little things in your daily routine if possible. For instance, if you park in the same spot every day, park in a slightly different spot. If you depart work at the same time, try leaving five to ten minutes earlier or later.
This can be slightly inconvenient, but it also shakes up any potential bad guy’s intentions for stalking out your movements. We are animals, and animals tend to form patterns. People who hunt or stalk other people tend to use those patterns against their prey.
In our next segment, we’ll discuss a few techniques you can apply in your daily work/life schedule to make yourself a harder target for others while keeping your inconvenience to a minimum.
