Many people go through their lives not knowing how vulnerable they are to outside situations. In most instances many don’t know they are being taken advantage of until it is happening, this goes not just for physical trauma but also emotional manipulation. Many times a threat is not just a scary guy in a cloak trying to lull you into a white van, but someone you know. Attacks happen fast and often without warning. These unpredictable factors are what makes everyday events seem alarming, and force people to always be on the lookout for red flags. It doesn’t help that there is not an ample amount of readily available information. Where are we supposed to look to, with all the misinformation on the internet and wild stories that don’t seem helpful in the slightest? There needs to be a clear outline on how to handle oneself available to anyone who is in trouble, because it’s generally frowned upon in the school district’s eyes to lug around a taser all day, “just in case”. This is going to be a detailed list on how and why we need to have these measures in place and implement them into daily life.

The biggest step in self protection is understanding situations you need to be aware of and actively avoiding them. It would be great to believe that if the time comes, you could easily fight a mugger away from taking your wallet, but the truth is most people can’t. And for all the cheesiness of this saying, it is the truest thing that can be learned when it comes to this subject, you need to trust your instincts and common sense. If you think someone’s watching you, they probably are. Don’t let anyone tell you differently, and if they try to diminish your experience then do not discuss what you are going through with them any further. They are not acting like a good confidant, and will only make you doubt yourself when you could be in trouble. It is always better to act weird and avoid being around someone you are uncomfortable with, rather than the alternative, which will be left to your imagination.

Of course when the public thinks of personal safety, most think of protection equipment first, which can be useful tools as long as they are used properly. There are many types of personal protection that have been made for the public, that most of us already have hanging on our keychains. With the advancements of the modern world we now have pepper spray, rape whistles and keychain alarms, among many others. However it is important to note that any self defense products need to be appropriate while on school grounds. All of the previously mentioned products are approved, even pepper spray (one of the most recommended self defense tools out there). It is legal to have pepper spray at school as long as it is used as a defensive measure and the school can not say it is not allowed as long as there’s a note of parental consent accompanying the pepper spray. All this to be said, none of these tools would be effective if the user is uncomfortable with the product. Many instructors say to test out your product once received to make sure you know how to use it.

There are other, less direct ways of keeping yourself safe that are just as effective. Such as taking your school parking pass down after leaving the parking lot, to insure that your car is not as recognizable as having your school name plastered on the inside. It also helps cars to not be tracked down at a later date. Along with this is social media if you have any social media account as a teenager that is public it’s just a bad idea, period. The bad far outways the good and there really is no point to keep an account public. Some platforms such as Snapchat even allow others to track you if you don’t go through the settings to change the mode. A stalker could find out where you are, if you are in the car or not and how long you have been at a location. How is that even legal? Attackers could spy on your account all day long and you would be completely unaware, now obviously this is a bad and potential safety threatening event, yet it is still common practice on most social media sites. The public is allowing this to go unchecked even though millions of people are stalked online every year. Cyberstalking is becoming so commonplace that it is estimated there are 7.5 million people over the age of 16 who have been stalked digitally throughout the year. Additionally 67% of those people know their watcher personally. So maybe you don’t want to add the creepy dude named Fred with no background information on Instagram to watch your every move.

Never let anyone make you feel bad for taking your own safety into consideration. If someone makes you feel unsafe, you need to let the people closest to you know. And if you feel like something is wrong, it might at first seem silly or not based in reality. But countless studies have shown that the people who are prepared are much more likely to get out of a difficult situation rather than the people making you feel delusional. This subject is not talked about enough even though countless people struggle with this, and it is because it is not made public. So if a situation sounds significant to you, stand up for yourself and those around you. And please, for all of the cookie dough in this world, don’t just sit by and let the world tear you apart.