I grew up to the sounds of my mum constantly telling me to be careful. She said the world was a dangerous place, especially for a girl like myself. Due to my small stature and naturally oblivious state, I was “an easy target,” and easy to take advantage of. When I became a college student and moved away, I thought her incessant nagging would become less severe; after all, I was older, on my own, and more capable. However, I realized that being hundreds of miles away only kicked her “mama bear” mode into full gear.

As someone who was fortunate enough not to have been the target of a mugging or any other crime, I never put much stock into my mother’s warnings or the idea of staying safe. Like every other young college student, I felt invincible. Then I went to Walmart at 4 a.m.

I know, I know, going to Walmart at 4 a.m. was not the greatest idea in the first place. But I needed to make cookies, I had just dropped my friends off at a house near the Supercenter, and I knew I wasn’t going to want to get up earlier Sunday morning to go out of my way to get baking supplies. So I decided to go to Walmart at 4 a.m. On my way out of the store, I was on my phone when a guy started to try to get my attention. I ignored him; however, he persisted. Finally, he yelled out to me, “Hey. Don’t you want to know what I’m selling?” And I stopped. I stopped because it was 4 a.m. outside of a Walmart, in Arlington, Texas, of all places. I turned around, asked him what he was selling, and then found myself caught in the middle of a meth deal. It was at this point that I knew some serious changes needed to be made in my safety regime. Coincidentally, and rather fortunately, a police officer came to my sorority chapter meeting the next week to give tips on how to stay vigilant.

1. Be aware of your surroundings

This is perhaps one of the most important things you can do to guarantee your safety. Always stay alert to the possibility of danger; this means stay present by not being distracted by your phone or drifting off in your thoughts.

2. Walk in pairs

Whenever you are going somewhere late at night, it is best to have a buddy with you. Remember, there is strength in numbers.

3. If you’re carrying pepper spray, make it easily accessible

First of all, it is always smart to carry a small weapon, like pepper spray, as long as you know how to use it. If you do carry it with you, make sure that it is accessible. When someone attacks you, you’re not going to have the time to dig through your bag to find your pepper spray, so try to clip it to your keychain if possible.

4. Walk confidently

If you walk with long strides and your eyes ahead, you are less likely to get attacked. Crazy as it sounds, that simple posture can help prevent an attack. It’s true. The more confident you seem, the more likely it appears to the attacker that you will fight back.

5. Don’t draw attention to yourself

If you happen to be walking in the middle of a parking lot late at night, you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. This ties back to being aware and not using your phone. The light that radiates from your phone when you’re using it, and calls attention to the fact that you’re out alone, and can lure in a potential attacker.