You want to be safe as you go about your daily routine. Whether you are a 9-5 employee, a stay-at-home-mom, or a college party girl, the six lifestyle-choices that make up CAPCAT go a long way towards helping you avoid problem situations. CAPCAT stands for Communicate — be Aware — Teamwork — Control — be Ambiguous — Plan Ahead.
After reading about CAPCAT then take a look below at the many complete packages we’ve developed that help you walk and live safely in today’s world.
Communicate
If you are going somewhere out of the ordinary communicate that to others. Ensure they know where you will be,, who you will be with, and when you expect to be back. If you wind up going somewhere else then communicate that also. In our day of easy texting there should be no excuse for not communicating to others.
Be Aware
Always be aware of your surroundings. This is no different than driving defensively, where you are watching on the road for potential problems up ahead. Know who is around you and what your physical circumstances are. Trust what your feelings are telling your brain. When you feel that tingle running up your spine it may not be because of how handsome that young man is who is handing you a drink you didn’t order. When a stranger is driving your to your apartment and begins to take the wrong way home it is past time to be concerned.
Teamwork
Having a buddy to watch out for you and you her is always a good idea. A second opinion in a situation can often provide clarity. They don’t even have to be physically present. If you have a reciprocity agreement with someone that you can text them with your particulars and they can text you then you have built a teamwork safety net that can provide a pro-active means of protection.
Control
Never be afraid to be in control. Say “NO” when you have to, and say “YES” when you want to. You can even say, “NOOOOOOOO!” You make the final decisions about who, where, when, and how around you. If you feel you are losing control of the situation, then take a step back and put the brakes on any further actions until you feel comfortable again. Obviously, drinking can drastically impair your ability to take and keep control.
Ambiguous
Don’t be a rush to tell everything about yourself to strangers, either over the ‘net or in person. The less they know about you the less they have to harm you with. Your home address, your vacation and travel plans, your working situation, and your family are all things best reserved for close friends.
Plan ahead.
Salespeople are trained to believe that if they fail to plan, they plan to fail. This is really true. While none of us want to slide into paranoia, even a little bit, planning ahead for awkward or dangerous situations make it easier to navigate the proper responses and behavior when they happen. Be familiar with and carry a personal self-defense tool such as pepper spray or a stun gun. At the very least, have a personal alarm with you to create a noise that will drive off an attacker and summon help from nearby people.