Operational Security (OPSEC) as a concept in a military setting is meant to reduce vulnerabilities by controlling the flow of information in an effort to prevent adversaries from exploiting weaknesses. We can also use the concept of OPSEC to protect our minds from nefarious attempts by others to gain influence over our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Let’s explore…
The first step is to consider the threats. Who might be seeking an advantage over you by feeding you specific information that can influence you? This list can be pretty extensive but we can put them into broad categories: People, Companies, and Countries.
Now that you have an idea about who is trying to influence you we can take a look at how they gain access. I don’t think many of you will be surprised by the methods at play here. Social media, advertisements, news reports, books, podcasts, blogs, classes/courses, social gatherings, emails, phone calls… These information channels can be adapted and exploited in order to influence your own patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
So what can we do about it?
We can start by building cognitive discipline. I like to use a reflective question “Whose thoughts am I thinking?” to challenge thoughts that may stem from harmful manipulation. I have found this little question to be a profoundly powerful tool in pausing my knee-jerk reactions to politically or emotionally charged news and media headlines, sales pitches, or cleverly hidden marketing and advertising.
Developing a defensive mindset is another useful tool. When I was in highschool my Basketball coach used to remind us that while offense sells tickets… defense wins games. A defensive mindset revolves around recognizing that not all information is neutral or benign and that some people, companies, or countries will push their agendas with skillfully developed propaganda.
Increasing your capability and capacity to deploy critical thinking tools can also help. Critical thinking is a skill that can be trained and refined in order to help identify and respond to deception, misinformation, and disinformation when you come across it.
Finally, but maybe most critically, is to develop good emotional hygiene practices. In military OPSEC we protect information with physical security and information security tools that create barriers and boundaries that prevent compromise. We can do the same by setting boundaries and restrictions with the types of information we let into our lives.
If you found this helpful, you can read all of my Daily Reflections at www.tacticstotalwellness.com/blog
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