Written by Dominic Arcuri, President of Arcuri Group LLC
Practicing good security awareness vigilance is not difficult, but it requires commitment. Battling complacency is the biggest hurdle. We all suffer from it, and at some point, we are all vulnerable as a result. I have always taught that complacency is often not recognized until the moment it is too late.
Think of complacency as a scale. On one side, the weight of everything occurring in your life and around you. Personal tasks, traffic, people, and even daydreaming. Repetition and familiarity contribute to complacency creeping in, and the weight of these things drives the scale down while pushing your vulnerability up. Vigilance and commitment to alertness can be used to push the scale back in your favor, however, it requires mindful dedication to maintain. At any given moment, the scale could again tip against you unless the consistent application of vigilance is applied.
This is easier said than done. Nevertheless, the more you focus on achieving that level of security awareness that is at the height of alert, the better prepared you are to recognize threats before they affect you and/or your family members.
Staying healthy has a direct impact on your ability to maintain alertness and fully benefit from vigilance. We have all been taught in school about nutrition and how it impacts our studies. The same concept applies to personal alertness and security awareness. Staying focused and alert requires attention. Eating healthy foods and staying hydrated is an important contributing factor to maintaining vigilance and a mindful alert status.
Personal fitness is another area that you may want to explore. Being fit means you are better equipped to handle a physical change in behavior such as having to defend yourself and the physiology that goes along with fighting or dealing with high-stress events.
Lastly, get enough sleep! A good diet and fitness are not enough if you are deprived of sleep. Be sure to eliminate disruptions to a healthy sleep cycle.
An alert and maximum response to a perceived threat or an attack scenario require mental and physical health. Speak with your physician for a program best suited for you.
About the Author: Dominic Arcuri, President of Arcuri Group LLC
Dominic Arcuri is the president of Arcuri Group LLC, an education management company, and the owner and administrator of the Situation Awareness Specialist® professional certificate system and a suite of Professional Standards Training Programs for select clients. With a decade of police service, Dominic has spent years providing capacity development and training programs in numerous nations to create a system of services aimed at a diverse multi-sector target audience. Learn more at https://situationawarenesstraining.com/index.html
