Staying safe on campus is 90% mental.

It’s about about being aware of potentially dangerous situations and avoiding them.

That’s why it’s important to understand the risks associated with your various behaviors.

There are 2 parts to your mental strategy.

The 1st Part

The First Part of your strategy to stay safe on campus is external, or how you broadcast yourself to others.

Whether walking across campus, or chatting online, there is a game being played between you and a perpetrator(s).

For them, It’s could be about power, control, a rush or about money. The ‘perp’ is looking to dominate an ‘easy target.’

On or near campus, they may be looking out for that easy target to get what they’re after. It could be money, an iPhone or sexual gratification.

Online, it could be the thrill of seduction, the challenge of stealing information or just the satisfaction of harassing someone to the point of getting a negative reaction.

If you’re; alone, weak, scared, a woman (or some other potential victim category), doesn’t mean you have to act like a victim.

If you’re walking across campus alone and scared. “Play the game” and start walking like you own the place. Walk like you’re “ten feet tall and bullet proof.”

No one else need know you’re scared. Look like you’re confident, have somewhere to be and walk with purpose.

If online and someone you don’t know attempts to chat with you, block them or be very clear that you’ll alert the authorities to their inappropriate behavior.

The 2nd Part

The Second Part of your mental strategy to stay safe on campus is internal. By internal, we mean your Intuition.  Highly tuning your intuition can reduce your chance of attack ten-fold.

Intuition is a function of your brain.  Your brain is the most complex organism in the known universe.

Have you ever just known… something was going to happen, someone was going to call, someone didn’t have a good vibe?

Learning to listen to, and trusting your intuition, is a process easier said than done. It may involve hurting someone’s feelings or rejecting someone’s kind gesture, because of how you feel.

But, since most attackers are known to their victims, this is a risk you must take.

By understanding that many of the activities you can do to protect yourself are mental, you can take a more proactive approach in staying safe on campus.

You never know where the next threat will come.