Armour will make life easier, reducing the damage you receive. The better the armour, the greater the damage reduction. Be sure to upgrade your gear at every opportunity.
You may also want to avoid damage from time to time. A well-timed block will parry the attack, negating all damage and staggering the enemy granting you a window to perform a visceral counterattack. While, if like me you prefer to avoid a knife in the stomach, you can always dodge an attack and get out of the way.
Perhaps the best way to protect one’s most precious internal organs, is to get out of the way of an attacker before they can stab you. Dodging is the key to this. Dash, roll and scream incoherently as you whiz away from an enemy’s attack before I can reach you. You can dodge in multiple directions, so make sure to keep an eye on your surroundings so you don't dodge off a cliff or anything.
I did that once. Not fun.