Hello, friends – I hope you’re all doing great! Today I just wanted to mention a little tip in the practice of self-defense. It’s not a martial art maneuver but it’s still a phenomenal weapon in your favor!
When any sort of offender aims to commit a crime that involves confronting his victim, I believe that his first and greatest weapon is fear. If he can intimidate us, he can “victimize” us. Once we’re convinced he’s more powerful, the advantage is his. This is bad news (because fear is a strong emotion) but also good news, because if it means that his chief ally is actually in our minds!
Whenever something makes us afraid, that fear is debilitating – our muscles get weak, our knees quake, and we fall to the defensive. We don’t feel in control because that fear is dominating us. But because fear lives in the mind, we actually have the power to force our brains to ignore the emotion and look at the facts. Thinking, then, is the first weapon of defense. Thinking clearly in a compromised situation is the dawn of victory.
A little fear can be good, because without we might really be in trouble by doing something rash and risky, but staying cool, calm, and collected is the first defense in our reach. Thinking on what powers we do have is a lot more effective than dwelling on all the possible dangers ahead of us. I hope you don’t ever find yourself in a life-threatening situation, but in case you do, I think thinking is the best place to start!
