Violence against women and girls it turns out has hit an all time high during the lock down. The lock down hasn’t stopped and only marginally reduced rapes, sexual harassment, intimidation against women.
Autonomous, independent, secure women, will always raise the ire of dodgy men, as well as that of the handmaidens and foot soliders of the patriarchy.
Many women do not say what they think or speak out or take actions that for them feel appropriate. Mainly this is because of the fear or past experience of the backlash for doing so.
To be able to stand in and act from your truth when it differs to the majority opinion one needs ultimately to feel safe enough to do so.
Safety is the state of being “safe”:
1. secure from liability to harm, injury, danger, or risk: a safe place.
2. free from hurt, injury, danger, or risk: to arrive safe and sound.
3. involving little or no risk of mishap, error, etc.: a safe estimate.
4. dependable or trustworthy: a safe guide.
5. careful to avoid danger or controversy: a safe player; a safe play.
6. denied the chance to do harm; in secure custody: a criminal safe in jail.
Being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational, or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm, or any other event that could be considered non-desirable.
Safety can also be defined to be the control of recognized hazards to achieve an acceptable level of risk. This can take the form of being protected from the event or from exposure to something that causes health or economical losses. It can include protection of people or of possessions.
Dictionary.com & wikipedia
36 ideas to be safer
1. Decide if safety and/or feeling safe is something you’ve thought about, considered or is an issue
2. Define for yourself what being safe feels like
3. What are the necessary components for your for feeling safe
4. Take note if you only feel safe – alone,
5. – at home,
6. – with those you know/like
7. Learn Krav magra, wing tsun, silak pentjak. Do a self defence class made for females.
8. As yourself if I am e.g. in a crowd, alone, in an alien environment, what would I need to feel safe?
9. Define any places where your second safety boundary applies
10. Define places you feel unsafe
11. times when you feel unsafe
12. conditions under which you feel unsafe
13. Talk about feeling safe
14. Learn how to
15. ground
16. centre
17. focus on and listen to the messages from your body
18. manage pain
19. breathe properly
20. practise deep breathing
21. Learn how to take a full quick breathing
22. Learn how to consciously breathe out
23. Learn how to use you breath to focus
24. think
25. ground
26. centre
27. manage pain
28 stop panic
29. stretch or learn some appropriate stretches for yourself
30. Always have (cash) money/resources to get home
31. Be prepared to go it alone
32. “Better alone than in the wrong company”
33. Be aware of your surroundings
34. Trust your instincts
35. Better safe (bored / boring) than sorry
36. When in doubt take a deep breath
