Public spaces can be dangerous, which you’ll know if you ever find yourself navigating the essential elements of negligence. So many things can go wrong, from a spot on the grocery store floor missing the “wet floor sign” to someone in a car making a mistake and causing you serious harm.
While you rely on others just as much as you rely on yourself for safety in these situations, and some harm can’t be avoided as a result, you can prevent many accidents using the information below.
There will be many times that you have to walk near or even cross traffic. Stay on crosswalks and sidewalks when this happens. Drivers will expect to see you in these places and will be more cautious, especially if you’re crossing the street at the crosswalk.
While crosswalks are dotted around in many places, making walking much easier, sidewalks aren’t. If you have to walk by a road that doesn’t have a sidewalk, stay as far away from the road as possible; walking on the road puts you at risk of being hit by inattentive drivers.
You also need to follow the rules of the road. Failing to do so could put you in danger because every vehicle needs time to notice you’re there and react accordingly. Not following the rules of the road may not allow the driver enough time for either activity, which is less than ideal.
Exercise actually does provide benefits should you wind up in a tough situation. If you’re not injured, it gives you the strength and energy to either escape or help as necessary. It also strengthens you and increases your flexibility, which can make it so you take less damage than you otherwise should in some situations while also improving your ability to recover.
While exercising is more of a preparedness technique than a reactive one, it’s still important to keep in mind.
Pay attention to your surroundings as much as you can. You can start by eliminating distractions, like your phone. Check your phone only when you have to, and never do so while moving. Instead, find a good place to stop and then look at your phone. Don’t put in your earbuds or wear headphones in public. If you have to due to sensitivity to your surroundings, try and keep the volume low or only wear one earbud.
While you do want to be surrounded by people as much as possible, keep a close eye on them. If someone feels suspicious or is acting strangely, avoid them and try to escape the situation quickly. Alert nearby officials when you can as well so they can help you keep you and everyone around you safe. And, of course, trust your instincts above all else. If something feels off, then leave; you can always come back later.
If something bad does happen, you need to stay calm and avoid panic. Panic is when your mind and body are overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, causing your heart to race, you to feel short of breath, and increasing your likelihood of falling into a panic attack. Of course, it's easier said than done to remain calm during an emergency.
The first thing to do is to be prepared. Learn various first aid techniques so that you are prepared to help if someone nearby does get hurt. You also need to discover what your response is: fight, flight, or freeze. These three apply to you both mentally and physically.
In extreme scenarios, a fight response would allow you to fight off an attacker. In most emergencies, though, you’ll just be more snippy. Flight is self-explanatory, and the physical response of freezing is as well: you’re paralyzed by fear. Mentally, it can make it more difficult to remember important information or process any instructions you’re given.
Once you know how you respond to these situations, you can work on minimizing the negative aspects while maximizing the positive ones. If you can’t seem to calm yourself down, take a deep breath and step back. Someone else more equipped for the situation can handle it instead.
Overstimulation is not too different from being overwhelmed,with the main difference being that overstimulation often leads to feeling overwhelmed. Despite this, it hasn’t gone away; it’s actually gotten worse. Your responsibilities have piled up, free time has decreased, and your stress levels are likely through the roof more frequently than you’d like.
All of this is obviously bad and causes issues on its own, but it creates a serious, overwhelming sensation when combined with many loud sounds, bright lights, small spaces, large crowds and the like. If you notice yourself more on edge or closer to an emotional breakdown than you normally would be, you need to step back.
If you can, get yourself out of whatever situation you’re in, whether that be by getting off a stop or two early on public transportation or by leaving a store. If that’s not possible, then try to find somewhere quiet and private, like a bathroom, to escape to.
Once either of these has occurred, take some deep breaths and give yourself space to think. It won’t completely solve your problem, but it will hopefully give you the energy you need to get your chores done now so you have the time to focus on the causes later.
As you walk around, getting all of your chores and errands done, pay attention. Not only are you looking for hazards and danger, but also people who may be able to help. For example, if you’re walking around town, look for any police stations or parked police cars. When you enter a store, see where the clerks and attendants are.
When something or someone feels off, you can alert these people to the danger or even just stay close to them. If they’re nearby and haven’t noticed the problem yet but you’re unable to reach them, try speaking loudly to get their attention.
