Are You Safe? 5 Personal Safety Tips To Consider

By Akshay Sharma May 15, 2017 Entertainment

If you spend any time at all watching the news, you might be convinced that the world is a terrible place and that you’re always in danger. While that is not the case, you’d be surprised at some of the safety mistakes you might be making. Thankfully, with a few small adjustments, you can live a safer, happier life. Here are 5 tips to consider:

Fitness and Safety

For most people, the safest thing to do in a dangerous situation is to simply run away. Put as much distance between you and the threat and attract attention to yourself, helping to dissuade any would-be attacker from advancing on you in public. To be as fast as possible, you can start by taking up running on a regular basis. Start slowly with some light jogging, and then ramp up your routine with daily runs. Before long, you’ll be able to increase your lung capacity and stamina, ensuring you’ll be able to run far and fast in emergency situations. Aside from the plentiful other benefits of exercise (as listed by the CDC), it might just save your life.

Invest in Gear

If running away isn’t an option, you may be forced to fight to protect yourself. In this case, you’re going to want to have some equipment to help with the job. Items like pepper spray, stun guns, and other small pieces of equipment will do wonders to protect you. Most of the time, attackers aren’t expecting any resistance and will flee. However, fighting should always be saved as a last resort.

Weapons aren’t the only gear that’s worth investing in. Consider other valuable police grade personal safety equipment such as tactical boots, jackets, utility knives, and flashlights. These are extremely helpful items in either dangerous situations or other times of distress, like natural disasters.

Map Out Your Plan

Map
If there was a blackout in your building, would you be able to find your way out of it? Or, if an earthquake hit and you needed to get to safety, would you know where to go? These are the type questions you should be asking yourself when assessing your level of safety. Having access to a hard-copy map will help you navigate without access to any electronics, and being familiar with your area will allow you to get to safety quicker. There’s also the added bonus of confidence and composure that comes with knowing an area well, the value of which can’t be overstated.

Be Aware & Speak Up

One of the most dangerous things you can do to yourself is to have your eyes glued to your phone while walking, especially if you’re alone or traveling at night. This leaves you completely vulnerable, and makes you stand out to would-be thieves. Keep your eyes peeled and if you feel unsafe in an area, the first thing you should do is call somebody. Being on the phone with another person will help to comfort you and it’s always important for another person to know your location. This is helpful when you’re walking to your car at night or while you’re using a rideshare service to get home.

Evaluate Your Home

Where are the places that you spend the most time? At home, at work, and in your car. While there isn’t a lot you can do about your workspace, you can take steps to make your home safer. This includes updating your locks, fixing any loose windows, and installing cameras or motion detector lights. If you live in an older home, it might be worth it to have an inspector come out to check if anything needs to be updated. For your car, Nationwide offers several tips for driving safely.

You should also consider an emergency plan. If you live in an area that is at risk for natural disaster like an earthquake in Los Angeles, it’s essential that you and anybody you live with are on the same page about a plan. Make any evacuation plans clear and delegate tasks to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

With basic tips like these, living a safer life can actually be pretty easy and effective. Many people associate living safely with being paranoid, but that is simply not the case. A longer life is a better life, and it’s important to protect yourself and the people and things you love.

Author Bio:

Carolyn Clarke believes that safety comes next to godliness, and she aims to spread great tips to anyone who will listen!