Staying Safe at Work or Play: Personal Safety Tips for Women in 2023

Whether at work or enjoyable throughout some well-deserved down time, security is all the time a precedence. 

Now this doesn’t imply that you have to stay in the Red-Zone, always trying over your shoulder for potential threats. That can be exhausting and who wants extra stress? 

In this text, we’ll give you some easy-to-implement private security suggestions for girls. Combine them with the identical degree of consciousness that you’ve when driving your automobile, and also you’ll be simply as assured about your capability to detect and deal with your on a regular basis security as you might be about your driving security. 

Staying Safe At Work

Act On Your Safety Intuition

Your Safety Intuition is solely your 5 senses that always scan your setting for potential hazard and report it again it to you. But as girls, we are inclined to belittle ourselves once we sense that issues is likely to be amiss. Have you ever informed your self, “Oh, it’s probably nothing,” or “I’m sure it’s fine.” Congratulations, you’ve overridden your Safety Intuition. The following security suggestions not solely incorporate your Safety Intuition, however will put together you for potential threats and allow you to extend your confidence in your capability to deal with virtually something. And confidence in and of itself can deter a would-be predator. Even in the jungle, predators look for prey that may be simply overcome and keep away from people who may injure them.

No matter what sort of job you’ve got, it’s vital to make use of your Safety Intuition. During your day-to-day actions, your 5 senses report details about your setting to your unconscious and it builds a each day baseline. So whenever you really feel that one thing is “off”, it in all probability is. Can you determine what it’s? A unique sound, one thing that isn’t the place it was? Is somebody performing otherwise? It could possibly be one thing, could possibly be nothing. But don’t dismiss it or reduce it. Be curious, honor your Safety Intuition and act on it.

Be Persuasion-Proof

As girls, we’re taught to be accommodating, deferential, and particularly, good. Even if we’re in positions of command, we’re nonetheless anticipated to be feminine first and govt second. A layer of burden not positioned on males. That layer of lodging can manifest in an expectation that our go-to place might be accommodating and persuadable. This can influence all the pieces from being subtly disrespected to being sexually harassed or assaulted. So be Persuasion-Proof, at each degree. And preserve in thoughts that the extra Persuasion-Proof you might be, the extra stress you’ll really feel to accommodate. Society continues to be combating girls standing their floor. Don’t fall for it. And for those who’re being sexually harassed or are unsafe in any manner, use each instrument inside the group to struggle it. It gained’t go away, it can solely worsen.

Security First

Do you’re employed late, journey for enterprise, or have to fulfill shoppers in a location you can’t management? If so, you’re at danger. And most firms, companies or services have no concept. So, because of this it’s as much as you to take extra safety measures. We hate to say it, however initially, don’t drink alcohol closely. We realize it’s robust in a enterprise setting the place booze lubes offers, however alcohol is the largest acquaintance rape drug there may be. And whereas we’re at it, don’t go away any drink unattended. If it’s a must to go to the restroom and don’t have a trusted colleague with you, order a brand new one.

Travel with a tactical pen. It’s an actual pen with a pointy level that’s nice as a weapon and the added bonus is you can put it in your carryon baggage and it’ll undergo TSA checkpoints. Also, get a few Addalock (or comparable) door locking gadgets. These cheap little utensils add one other layer of bodily safety to door locks, making it bodily tough for an intruder to come back in by means of a door. Keep one in your baggage so it’s all the time out there for journey, and use them at house as nicely. Finally, an incredible lodge room weapon is wasp spray. It’s low-cost, simply obtainable in any grocery retailer and shoots a stream as much as thirty ft you can spray in an intruder’s eyes, quickly blinding them. 

Staying Safe At Play

Carry a Personal Weapon

No matter the place you might be, a private weapon ought to all the time be inside attain. Whether you favor a gun or one thing else, there are many choices for you. If you do carry a gun, just remember to’re educated and apply with it frequently. Don’t simply have one to “keep around.” A practiced predator will take one look at you and detect that you haven’t any concept what you’re doing and your issues will multiply at that immediate. But there are additionally loads of non-lethal weapons out there you can carry in addition to, or as an alternative of a gun. Bear spray (our private favourite!) is nice. As are pepper gels and sprays, stun weapons, private alarms and, in fact, a tactical pen. 

On Vacation

Many journey firms now supply offers and lodging for a “new” class of vacationer: the “solo traveler,” usually trade-speak for girls travelling alone. Keep in thoughts that these usually are not “singles” actions, they’re as marketed: People who need to journey by themselves and do precisely what they need to do. And since girls have gotten wealthier and extra self-confident, they’re selecting to journey alone and journey firms are right here for it! This implies that there is no such thing as a monetary penalty for a solo cabin, meals, and so forth. Cruise strains are including increasingly more ships to their fleets with solo vacationers’ sections. In some instances, it additionally means extra safety measures such a separate part of the ship that may solely be entered via a safe door with card key entry.

Keep in thoughts that predators may additionally be staying in this part of the ship as nicely, however the ship’s safety system can monitor which passengers are accessing the door and when. Whatever your trip plans, a bit of planning and analysis can go a great distance in guaranteeing your security. Pack your non-lethal weapons in your checked luggage, seize your Addalock, make sure that your tactical pen is in your purse or bag and have enjoyable!

Dating

The strongest weapon of most predators: Charm. It’s robust to not fall for a charmer, and so they realize it. But for those who’re conscious of what’s actually happening behind the scenes, it can save you your self a whole lot of heartache and attainable worse. Charm is the weapon of selection for love-bombing – the method by which the predator will get you to fall in love with them. Their purpose is to get you hooked on them immediately. But love-bombing is step one in the home abuse cycle. So, preserve in thoughts that courting is and needs to be enjoyable, however it’s additionally critical enterprise. 

No matter the place you might be and what you’re doing, your security comes first. So have enjoyable, and be protected!!

This visitor submit was authored by Laura Frombach and Joy Farrow

Laura Frombach

Laura was launched to know-how in the U.S. Army engaged on Pershing nuclear missiles. Having spent a lot of her profession as a technologist and engineer with IBM, HP, FedEx, Coca Cola Enterprises, Lenovo and others. A turning level in Laura’s life was the ‘aha’ second when she correlated her mom’s psychological sickness to home violence. She is now the co-author of Street Smart Safety for Women: Your Guide to Defensive Living (Health Communications Inc, an imprint of Simon & Schuster / October 3, 2023 / $17.95) and advocates for native home violence shelters. Laura was one of many featured audio system at the TEDx Eustis convention and speaks on girls’s security. Laura is an avid reader and health fanatic, loves comedy and religious matters (not in that order, simply in case…). She has been engaged on private development because the sixth grade.

Joy Farrow

Joy is a retired Deputy Sheriff with twenty-eight years of expertise and the co-author of Street Smart Safety for Women: Your Guide to Defensive Living (Health Communications Inc, an imprint of Simon & Schuster / October 3, 2023 / $17.95). She labored highway patrol in Pompano Beach, FL, and confronted each state of affairs possible. After the 9/11 tragedy, Joy transferred to the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Int’l Airport with the Broward Sheriff’s Office to deal with the security of air vacationers. In 2017, Joy assisted with the aftermath of the mass capturing at the Airport. She has obtained quite a few letters of commendations & a number of lifesaving awards. Joy was one of many featured audio system at the TEDx Eustis convention and speaks on girls’s security. Joy is a strolling encyclopedia of homicide and crime matters; an avid private health fanatic, enjoys stand-up comedy and has accomplished a few open mic nights!

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