Safety Concerns and Body Language

Let's suppose, It's a beautiful autumn morning, and you wake up right in time to take a refreshing routine walk in a park nearby. You sprung out of bed, got ready, took your water bottle, and stepped outside. Since It was early in the morning, only a few people were out. After soaking yourself in the fresh, breezy morning, you started walking towards your destination. A little later, you realize that somebody has tagged along, but that's okay because you're not the only one who likes beautiful daybreak. Not paying enough heed to what the latter is doing, you kept your trot on! A little later, you notice that that person is still walking behind you. Now, what would be your first thought? Wouldn't it be that I am being followed! 

In this instance, you’d indeed develop concern for your safety. And in response, you’d take some actions to ensure you’re safe. But how did you arrive at this conclusion that you’re being followed? 

Let us answer it for you. You drew this inference by observing that person’s action, or in other words, you read his body language.

Be Conscious of Body Language

Action speaks louder than words. Though usually applied in different contexts, this proverb is a perfect fit for understanding the importance of body language. Body language is nonverbal communication through physical behavior, facial expressions, and mannerisms. It is often done unconsciously. 

Whether you realize it or not, you continuously interact with others without using words. All the non-verbal cues like your gestures, tone of voice, frequency of eye contact, your posture send a clear signal about your state of mind. You can build trust and draw people towards you or impair your verbal message and offend people, sometimes leading to all hell breaking loose based on your non-verbal interactions with others. So, be conscious of what message you send or receive non-verbally.

Ignoring these solid non-verbal cues can be dangerous at times. In most criminal cases, it was evident that the accused sent some non-verbal but apparent signals before committing the crime. And some cases could have been easily prevented had anybody at the crime scene paid attention to the body language of the accused. That's why paying attention to the people surrounding you is always advised to avoid such menacing situations.

Awareness of Your Surroundings is The Key

Being aware of your surrounding doesn’t mean that you have to be in a state of intense vigilance around the clock. But simply, be mindful of the nonverbal cues of people enveloping you. These cues might help you to get alert and prepare yourself with some self-defense tactics like maintaining a safe distance and getting your hands on something that you could use as a self-defense weapon, say pepper spray.  

When you're amidst the crowd, it becomes pretty easy to recognize a strange behavior and avert a cataclysmic event. A person with some ulterior motive is often seen behaving differently. It is reported that suspects show some specific signs. A few make less eye contact and tap their pockets, indicating the possibility of them carrying some weapon. These signs aren’t enough to declare someone a potential threat, but at least you’ll go into alert mode until you make sure that everything’s fine.  

And in cases where these signs match the meanings stated above, getting out of the dangerous spot becomes trickier. So, for situations like these where you’re on your own, things that can save you are your preparedness followed by your reflex actions.

Stay Prepared