Jon Low posted a new Defensive Pistolcraft newsletter a few days ago, so be sure to check it out. He includes lots of links on self-defense, using a firearm, training, life-skills, etc. In this newsletter, he even links to a series of videos showing how to do calisthenics and gives some advice as to how to properly stretch. I thought this quote that he excerpted from a longer piece by Tom McHale to be something useful to keep in mind:
If you decide to carry a gun for self-protection, it’s your mission and responsibility to do everything in your power to avoid using it.
How do you do that? At the top of the list is maintaining constant awareness and noting suspicious behavior. However, it’s also important not to overreact. Don’t be a paranoid freak. That takes all the fun out of life.
You can dramatically improve your general awareness level by adding a few new habits and breaking some bad ones, like keeping your nose buried in your phone anytime you’re in public.
That one lifestyle change will do more than anything else to help improve your situational awareness: put away the phone while navigating public spaces.
You may even find that a more switched-on lifestyle improves your daily life experience. By paying more attention to your surroundings, you’ll discover new things and experiences to enjoy and appreciate. By paying more attention to people and remembering that 99.9 percent of them aren’t out to hurt you, you might make some new friends and acquaintances.
Here’s the bottom line. Keep perspective. Being alert improves your odds of avoiding a criminal encounter and makes you a less attractive potential victim. That doesn’t mean you have to become paranoid.
Most people are not actually out to get you.
The rest of the excerpt discusses additional tips on situational awareness, so be sure to read the whole thing.
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