The Secret to Personal Safety
If you have ever had any personal safety concerns, you're certainly not alone. Our busy lives today demand that we pay attention to our surroundings in order to survive. We've developed an evolutionary mechanism that excites our nervous system and raises our adrenaline and cortisol levels to keep us alive. Your body aims to keep itself alive; your mind is the command center adjusting the levers to support this mission. When you are walking to work, stepping off the subway, or walking your dog at night, your body is telling you to "stay alert." There’s a 24/7 “keep yourself alive” system as potent and present as the respiratory system regulating your breathing. Sometimes, this system, like a plant reacting to stimuli, heightens and releases chemicals. We might call this feeling anxiety, or more specifically, safety anxiety. Safety anxiety is as real and important as any other type of anxiety. It's as treatable and manageable as any other form of anxiety. You might experience safety anxiety walking through a parking lot at night or on a long elevator ride alone. You might think, “When was this elevator last serviced? What if it stops now, and I'm alone? Does the emergency button even work?” When these thoughts end, you're relieved to exit this risky contraption. We all experience situations like this daily, whether walking to a car at night or waiting at an empty bus stop. We're always assessing threats. We all want to be safe. If you recognize this safety anxiety and want to address it, you start looking for solutions. You research how to alleviate this anxiety and find various self-defense tools online. You might buy pepper spray from Amazon, but later find it too bulky. Then, after hearing about a nearby mugging, you reignite your search for other self-defense tools. However, finding effective self-defense tools has been a challenge. Often bought in panic, we don't properly evaluate their efficacy. For instance, an attacker might turn a victim's weapon against them. In some cases, it's better to have no weapon than have your own weapon used against you. But if you're trained and prepared, that same weapon could save your life. Self-defense is dynamic. The best self-defense strategy is perhaps to have company. It’s common to hear about individuals being mugged when alone. It's less common for groups. The power of numbers is significant. Yet, we can't always have company. During times when you're alone, precautions are essential. One woman in Chicago described her experience having worried about safety anxiety for years, and once she committed to only traveling with her friends, she felt an enormous pressure lifted off her chest. But we emphasize that it's not always feasible to travel with others. And when you're alone, caution is paramount. Even if you do end up finding a self-defense tool that suits you, it's important to recognize that studies do show that having company reduces risks, underscoring the strength in numbers. One study showed that over 90% of car jackings occurred when the driver was alone. Astonishingly, fewer than 10% took place when there were two or more people in the vehicle. The power of numbers is significant. This cannot be overstated. If you can avoid a potentially life-threating situation all together, is this not the ideal outcome? If you have any personal safety concerns, we'd love to help! Feel free to email [email protected] or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-877-832-5276. |
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September 2024
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