Every woman has experienced those nights when you hastily move to your car in dark parking lot after a long day at work.
You may be a very cautious person who is always aware of her surroundings, but would you be able to defend yourself if you were actually attacked? Knowing simple self-defense tricks could make all the difference.
Here are five simple small tips could save your life.
Your thumbs are the perfect weapons. Place your hands on the sides of your attacker’s face, then swing your thumbs down into his or her eyes. This will stun and impair your attacker, giving you time to run.
According to Lifehacker, using your thumbs to defend yourself from an attack will not only cause him or her pain, but will also “make your escape easier by at least temporarily interfering with his vision.”
READ MORE: How to Get out of the Cycle of Codependency
Your elbows and knees will make a great impact when protecting yourself. Use your elbows to jab the stomach if pursued from behind or throw them at the face. Swing your knees into the groin area of your attacker while gripping his or her shoulders.
Functional Self Defense reports that “Hitting someone in the face with an elbow is nothing nice. It’s like hitting them with a hammer. Unlike a punch, palm, or many types of kicks, there’s no padding or joints to disperse the force of the blow.” For this reason, your elbow is your “most powerful tool at your disposal.”
If escape doesn’t seem to be an option immediately, yell at your attacker to get away from you. According to Lifehacker, “This does two things: it signals for help and it lets the attacker know you’re not an easy target.” So while this method “may not dissuade all attackers, but getting loud will warn off those that were looking for easy prey.”
If you carry a perfume or body spray around with you that can be easily accessed, use that to your advantage. Quickly grab it and spray it into the eyes of someone pursuing you to cause his or her eyes to burn.
According to Wikihow, using perfume, hair spray or even antiperspirant spray can act like mace when sprayed in your attacker’s eyes. This will buy you some time to call for help.
READ MORE: New Study Finds That Women Are More Likely to Suffer from Anxiety
The nose is a sensitive area that is an easy target. Lifehacker advises “If the attacker is close in front of you, use the heel of your palm to strike up under his nose; throw the whole weight of your body into the move to cause the most pain and force him to loosen his grip on you.”
According to Daily Mail, “The theory is that your attacker releases you in order to grab hold of his painful nose, giving you vital seconds to run away.”
Use these five simple tricks to get you out of a sticky situation. You should always be aware of your surroundings and know the necessary steps to take if you are in danger.
