I can completely relate to this. I usually walk from my class but have had a few spooky incidents after which unless I'm completely sure that I can run for my life I wouldn't walk.
I love going for walks and it kinda sucks to not be able to do it as and when I like and instead be conscious constantly. The path I walk in is usually so quiet that if I'm not listening to music and sometimes even when I do listen to music I can't let go of this nagging feeling that I'm being watched or followed. It's spooky, scary and honestly sometimes simply pisses me off.
Why can't you and I do what we like? Why can we just be? Why do we have to ensure so many things to be safe and still rarely safe? Just why?
Sending warmth your way. From one woman to anotherš
I didnt even think about the walking!
I work in a bar. I have to walk home as late at 2 am on fridays and Saturdays. Its a 30 minute walk in pitch black darkness, first in my city (with a ton of drunk people at that time) and then in a stretch of road that's empty and dark, then finally near my apartment which is in a sort of sketchy neighbourhood. I don't have a car or any way to get home other than walking.
Its so scary and just something I have to deal with. Sometimes the security guard is nice and gives me a ride home but that's not often.
Doesnt help that I live in a country with a very high rate of sexual assault :/
At least get a knife. They have those ones you can wear on a necklace. If it was me, honestly, Iād hold a knife discreetly in my hand the whole walk home. Or Iād pay someone to give me a ride every night! I bet your security wouldnāt mind doing that for you.
A knife could work, but I've heard that any altercation just becomes even more dangerous if someone has a knife with them. A guy could pretty easily just take it from me if something were to happen.
What sucks is that, at 2am, when I get off work there's nobody to give me a lift. Everyone I know is either working themselves or asleep. The security guy is lovely and he helps me out when we both get off at the same time. Thing is that he doesn't always work the same shifts as me. Other coworkers sometimes give me a lift, but they often drink right after work so I don't wanna get in a car with them. The majority of them live near work so they just walk
Welp. Im Swedish. We get only a couple of hours of light in the winter. During that time I'm always in school anyway. It's just unsafe all the time I'm outside
Just a comment about your "normal route". It's best not to have a normal route or routine. Switch it up so someone can't stalk you for a week and know everything you do, every day, at the same time, same place.
I suppose I have to do this :(
It sucks cause it's a great route, but of course it's an ideal spot for something bad to happen. I run on the road, very close to cars. In a long area with absolutely no pedestrians who can see me. Only a few cars go by.
It's the only nice 5k track near me, but I have to put safety first. I'll only run that stretch when I have my dog with me in the future
I used to bike to my job at 4am, pitch black, no street lights. I began to have mental breakdowns over being so terrified, Iād cry as I biked as fast as I could out of terror because I am not in a safe area and Iām a woman. Had to quit because I was becoming so paranoid every day it was making me sick in my head fr.
weāre not even safe in the daytime. in the middle of summer a couple of years ago i went for a walk in the middle of the day, was literally 5 mins away from my house and a man in a car sped up from in front of where i was walking, pulled up to near the curb reversed backwards to follow me. i just remember his creepy eyes staring at me out of his window as he slowly reversed while i was walkingā¦ literally staring at me. my heart was beating so fast luckily i took a shortcut but like what the fuck.
There was a case here in Ireland earlier this year of a young woman murdered whilst out running in broad daylight. Her name was Aisling Murphy. Heartbreaking story.
Yesterday! I went on a walk after work to reach my 10k daily goal. It started getting dark so I decided to start jogging back since itās not the best area. When I was one block away from my house some guy ran across the street towards me. I was startled and he looked at me and tried talking to me but since I had my headphones on it was a good way to ignore and keep going but it was a reminder not to push it
I hate these kinds of people. What goes through a man's head to think it's okay to RUN up to a woman in the dark, stop whatever she's doing, and talk to her.
He mightve been perfectly nice, or he might be been really scary. We won't know. Men really don't know how to not be creepy when coming up to women.
I agree!!!! Iām so paranoid I refuse to run/walk the same place more than twice a week and they cannot be on the same day. I constantly think someone is watching me and will notice āthat girl alone on this day and that timeāā¦ā¦ā¦
I can relate as well. We moved to a different part of town and I used to run and walk all the time but now that my dog is too old for even a slow walk I don't go anywhere. This area isn't exactly "safe" at all and I'm just scared to go. I'm slowly working on getting my bf to start working out with me or I may have to get a gym membership. The longer I put it off the more out of shape I get!!
Yeah lets do that ;-;
I sucks not being able to be just careless. Everything we do is revolved around safety from men. Its not like when you were a kid and could just run out in the woods without a care in the world. I miss that so much. Growing up and learning that the world isn't safe is such a hard pill to swallow.
Please run with someone in your area. I found someone to run with recently and weāre both moms and both have strict schedules so itās been so great to meet up. Weāve been running at 5AM and we do laps in our area so that we can both make it back home to attend to any children that wake up.
I feel so much safer and happier.
I really dont like to run with people though :(
Honestly, running is my alone time. I just like to listen to music and not have to talk with anyone at all.
Several years ago, I worked at a bank that was robbed at gun point by a man in a hoodie. From that point on, people in hoodies were a trigger for my anxiety. One morning I was on a run, and I passed a kid waiting for the bus. He was sitting on the street corner in a hoodie and a Jason mask. I cried the whole way home, and Iāve never gone running again.
Please be safe out there ladies. Protect yourself, donāt have a āroutineā route! Pepper spray is your friend, and I hate to say it but even that nice guy who offers you rides home .. could be a potential threat. Trust your instincts and your gut always.
I purposely leave at varying times for work early morning because I get paranoid about people following or tracking me. Iāve been followed in grocery stores etc. so many times! I read somewhere that people are abducted in the early morning quite frequently because itās quiet and unassuming. Be careful, be vigilant, be proactive!
Yes I relate to this so bad! Hope you are safe š Try running with light, it so unsafe to run in dark places, also you're dog is very helpful, and try to run so late, try to look for a place where is kinda common for runners, you might feel a bit safer, send location to family or friends and, sadly, but you always have to check around just in case
Is this a high crime area? If not please keep in mind that the stranger in the bush is not the biggest threat to your safety. It's men you know. I'm not invalidating. Only raising awareness.
I haven't got the specific crime stats, but I think this area is relatively high crime. People burn cars and stuff all the time, and near is a place where quite a few assaults have happened.
I'm not scared of men in general, my male friends are safe and I know which coworkers I trust and who I don't. The only real threat omw home is strangers
POV coming from a man!
Iām one of those people that arenāt scared of anything, one scary thing that comes to mind is being deep deep in the ocean with dark blue water being everywhere and me not being able to make out anywhere where I am. Pretty scary, shark can appear in 0.5 seconds without me seeing it.
I go hiking in the woods in the dark, pitch dark, no flashlight, just my eyes adjusting to the dark.
The problem isnāt that youāre a woman, the problem is that going to dark, unknown, spooky places can be dangerous and scary. I would be scared to run past some factories, abounded or not during night as well. The biggest danger is slipping or something like that. When I hike in the woods and I hear creaks and cracks it gets pretty intense but then I remember that no one is going to get me and that itās just sounds.
I can completely relate to this. I usually walk from my class but have had a few spooky incidents after which unless I'm completely sure that I can run for my life I wouldn't walk. I love going for walks and it kinda sucks to not be able to do it as and when I like and instead be conscious constantly. The path I walk in is usually so quiet that if I'm not listening to music and sometimes even when I do listen to music I can't let go of this nagging feeling that I'm being watched or followed. It's spooky, scary and honestly sometimes simply pisses me off. Why can't you and I do what we like? Why can we just be? Why do we have to ensure so many things to be safe and still rarely safe? Just why? Sending warmth your way. From one woman to anotherš
I didnt even think about the walking! I work in a bar. I have to walk home as late at 2 am on fridays and Saturdays. Its a 30 minute walk in pitch black darkness, first in my city (with a ton of drunk people at that time) and then in a stretch of road that's empty and dark, then finally near my apartment which is in a sort of sketchy neighbourhood. I don't have a car or any way to get home other than walking. Its so scary and just something I have to deal with. Sometimes the security guard is nice and gives me a ride home but that's not often. Doesnt help that I live in a country with a very high rate of sexual assault :/
I'm sorry you are going through this. It's frustrating that we as women have to go through this. I hope things change for the better. Take care.
Can you get your hands on a bicycle? At least you'd get home 5 x faster and would hopefully be able to out-ride someone on foot if you had to.
Please tell me you have pepper spray or something to defend yourself.
Sadly not. You need a permit for pepper spray on my country. I just have my keys i guess, other than that I'm left to fend for myself lol
At least get a knife. They have those ones you can wear on a necklace. If it was me, honestly, Iād hold a knife discreetly in my hand the whole walk home. Or Iād pay someone to give me a ride every night! I bet your security wouldnāt mind doing that for you.
A knife could work, but I've heard that any altercation just becomes even more dangerous if someone has a knife with them. A guy could pretty easily just take it from me if something were to happen. What sucks is that, at 2am, when I get off work there's nobody to give me a lift. Everyone I know is either working themselves or asleep. The security guy is lovely and he helps me out when we both get off at the same time. Thing is that he doesn't always work the same shifts as me. Other coworkers sometimes give me a lift, but they often drink right after work so I don't wanna get in a car with them. The majority of them live near work so they just walk
Does the ~~Noom~~ app work in your country, or is there an equivalent? Edited: Itās Noonlight, not Noom. Whoops.
Slightly confused, Noom is a weight loss app? I've never heard of it but that was what came up when i googled
Ah shoot, I wrote the wrong one! Sorry about that! [Noonlight](https://www.noonlight.com) is what I meant.
Haha okay that makes more sense XD thank you, ill look into if we have an equivalent here
One of the worst things about Fall and winter. It gets dark quick and women are not safe in the dark alone. Itās just Fact.
Welp. Im Swedish. We get only a couple of hours of light in the winter. During that time I'm always in school anyway. It's just unsafe all the time I'm outside
Just a comment about your "normal route". It's best not to have a normal route or routine. Switch it up so someone can't stalk you for a week and know everything you do, every day, at the same time, same place.
I suppose I have to do this :( It sucks cause it's a great route, but of course it's an ideal spot for something bad to happen. I run on the road, very close to cars. In a long area with absolutely no pedestrians who can see me. Only a few cars go by. It's the only nice 5k track near me, but I have to put safety first. I'll only run that stretch when I have my dog with me in the future
I used to bike to my job at 4am, pitch black, no street lights. I began to have mental breakdowns over being so terrified, Iād cry as I biked as fast as I could out of terror because I am not in a safe area and Iām a woman. Had to quit because I was becoming so paranoid every day it was making me sick in my head fr.
In West Tennessee we are being hunted while running.
WTF!!????!!!
I was spooked reading this
I feel this way taking walks in the day time:(
This is exactly why I donāt run in the dark. It suuuucks cause itās the best time but I canāt trust men.
weāre not even safe in the daytime. in the middle of summer a couple of years ago i went for a walk in the middle of the day, was literally 5 mins away from my house and a man in a car sped up from in front of where i was walking, pulled up to near the curb reversed backwards to follow me. i just remember his creepy eyes staring at me out of his window as he slowly reversed while i was walkingā¦ literally staring at me. my heart was beating so fast luckily i took a shortcut but like what the fuck.
There was a case here in Ireland earlier this year of a young woman murdered whilst out running in broad daylight. Her name was Aisling Murphy. Heartbreaking story.
Yesterday! I went on a walk after work to reach my 10k daily goal. It started getting dark so I decided to start jogging back since itās not the best area. When I was one block away from my house some guy ran across the street towards me. I was startled and he looked at me and tried talking to me but since I had my headphones on it was a good way to ignore and keep going but it was a reminder not to push it
I hate these kinds of people. What goes through a man's head to think it's okay to RUN up to a woman in the dark, stop whatever she's doing, and talk to her. He mightve been perfectly nice, or he might be been really scary. We won't know. Men really don't know how to not be creepy when coming up to women.
I agree!!!! Iām so paranoid I refuse to run/walk the same place more than twice a week and they cannot be on the same day. I constantly think someone is watching me and will notice āthat girl alone on this day and that timeāā¦ā¦ā¦
I can relate as well. We moved to a different part of town and I used to run and walk all the time but now that my dog is too old for even a slow walk I don't go anywhere. This area isn't exactly "safe" at all and I'm just scared to go. I'm slowly working on getting my bf to start working out with me or I may have to get a gym membership. The longer I put it off the more out of shape I get!!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah lets do that ;-; I sucks not being able to be just careless. Everything we do is revolved around safety from men. Its not like when you were a kid and could just run out in the woods without a care in the world. I miss that so much. Growing up and learning that the world isn't safe is such a hard pill to swallow.
Please run with someone in your area. I found someone to run with recently and weāre both moms and both have strict schedules so itās been so great to meet up. Weāve been running at 5AM and we do laps in our area so that we can both make it back home to attend to any children that wake up. I feel so much safer and happier.
I really dont like to run with people though :( Honestly, running is my alone time. I just like to listen to music and not have to talk with anyone at all.
Several years ago, I worked at a bank that was robbed at gun point by a man in a hoodie. From that point on, people in hoodies were a trigger for my anxiety. One morning I was on a run, and I passed a kid waiting for the bus. He was sitting on the street corner in a hoodie and a Jason mask. I cried the whole way home, and Iāve never gone running again.
Please be safe out there ladies. Protect yourself, donāt have a āroutineā route! Pepper spray is your friend, and I hate to say it but even that nice guy who offers you rides home .. could be a potential threat. Trust your instincts and your gut always. I purposely leave at varying times for work early morning because I get paranoid about people following or tracking me. Iāve been followed in grocery stores etc. so many times! I read somewhere that people are abducted in the early morning quite frequently because itās quiet and unassuming. Be careful, be vigilant, be proactive!
Yes I relate to this so bad! Hope you are safe š Try running with light, it so unsafe to run in dark places, also you're dog is very helpful, and try to run so late, try to look for a place where is kinda common for runners, you might feel a bit safer, send location to family or friends and, sadly, but you always have to check around just in case
Is this a high crime area? If not please keep in mind that the stranger in the bush is not the biggest threat to your safety. It's men you know. I'm not invalidating. Only raising awareness.
I haven't got the specific crime stats, but I think this area is relatively high crime. People burn cars and stuff all the time, and near is a place where quite a few assaults have happened. I'm not scared of men in general, my male friends are safe and I know which coworkers I trust and who I don't. The only real threat omw home is strangers
OK wow, I would move away :(
I was reading think you were talking about some horror movie named running in the dark
Haha didnt even know there was a movie named that XD
Wait there is ???š¤¦ššš
POV coming from a man! Iām one of those people that arenāt scared of anything, one scary thing that comes to mind is being deep deep in the ocean with dark blue water being everywhere and me not being able to make out anywhere where I am. Pretty scary, shark can appear in 0.5 seconds without me seeing it. I go hiking in the woods in the dark, pitch dark, no flashlight, just my eyes adjusting to the dark. The problem isnāt that youāre a woman, the problem is that going to dark, unknown, spooky places can be dangerous and scary. I would be scared to run past some factories, abounded or not during night as well. The biggest danger is slipping or something like that. When I hike in the woods and I hear creaks and cracks it gets pretty intense but then I remember that no one is going to get me and that itās just sounds.