Have you adjusted your behaviour? Do you vary your journey to work and consider your escape routes while you are out and about?
After living in fear for any amount of time it is very hard to shake off feelings of danger. Perhaps your ex has threatened to track you down or an unknown stalker has been bothering you. How can you cope with the knowledge that someday you may be confronted with someone who will flip all of your calm upside down?
You need to learn a mantra – a short phrase that you can repeat calmly if you are confronted – something that will alert others if necessary and if things get out of hand.
Here is an example:
If you continue to harass me I’ll set off my personal alarm
Please leave me alone
I don’t want to speak to you.
Learn this. Repeat it several times a day and most importantly, practice saying it out loud, both calmly and then in a stronger voice. You should practice it until it becomes second nature to you.
If you find yourself confronted by the person that you have been trying to avoid you may be scared or angry and you may be incoherent but your words will have more impact if they are rehearsed and you portray a calm exterior.
It goes without saying that, if at any time you feel you are in danger, just yell and scream as loudly as possible and run the hell away. The most important thing is to trust your instincts and don’t be afraid of making as much fuss as possible in order to attract attention.
Arming yourself, even with words can go a long way to reducing your fear.
