Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

If you feel anxiety and fear that you have been the victim of a crime or even killed, there are a few things you can do to deal with that fear. Are you too vigilant and cautious to the point of exhaustion? If that is the case, practice control by dispelling your fears, seeking professional help, and creating a safer, healthier future.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Dispel fear

1. 

   Take steps to ensure your physical safety. Frightened or not, you should always ensure the safety of yourself and those around you. There are things you can do to control the safety around you:
   • Lock doors and windows.
   • Leave lights on at night or use night lights.
   • Keep your phone with you.
   • Install alarm systems in the house.

2. 

   
   
   Take precautions when you are in danger. The reality is that some areas are prone to violence. You need to be diligent about creating a safe environment for yourself. In addition to the things listed above, there are a few steps you can take to prevent violence:
   • Always be with someone else. Never go alone.
   • Avoid walking in dark areas, alleys, or bushes. If you have to walk on the road, be careful of passing traffic because they may not see you.
   • Wear reflective clothing when going out at night so that pedestrians can see you.
   • Join a local militia group to keep the streets safe. You can make friends with some people and have fun experiences in crime prevention.
   • When getting out of the car, insert the key into the finger, like a cat's claw. Keep the key outward so that it can be used as a weapon of self-defense.
   • Carry a siren in case someone moves against your will.

3. 

   
   
   Learn to defend yourself. Feelings of vulnerability and physical weakness can cause anxiety. Learning self-defense skills can help you feel stronger and able to protect yourself from potential dangers.
   • Consider taking martial arts or kickboxing classes. Physical activity will help manage stress and build confidence.

4. 

   
   
   Change your thoughts. When you find yourself thinking about your fears, find ways to think about something else. Obsessive thoughts will only make things worse. Distracting your thoughts into something else can help stop the cycle of anxiety associated with thoughts of extreme fear.
   • Go for a walk or talk to a friend to focus on something more pleasant.

5. 

   Self-study. Read the real crime statistics in your neighborhood. You will notice that there are very few crimes committed compared to the proportion of the population. The goal of this is to provide you with real-life metrics so you can have healthier thoughts.
   • Research shows that factors that contribute to fear of crime include: gender, age, race, lack of connection with neighbors, lack of trust in the police force, crime rate, former victims crime, risk perception and assessment of the seriousness of the criminal situation.

6. 

   Face your fear. Identify what frightens you and counteract it. Identifying specific fears will help you find a solution. Sit down and make a list of the things that lead you to fear of being killed. For example, did you witness someone being attacked or killed when you were a kid? If that's the case, maybe your fear was also formed from that.
   • Fight your fears by making a list of possible solutions. For example, if you are afraid to take a shower because you think you will be attacked, you can lock the bathroom door or have a friend stand outside to warn you if something happens. This is a small step, but not a long-term solution, but it is also a good start.

7. 

   Make a plan of action. Most fears will be overcome by planning an action. Overcoming the fear of being killed is no exception. Define what your main goals are, outline your steps to take, and stick to your plan.
   • List the factors that you believe contribute to your risk of being killed. Is your fears related to the neighbor's house down the street that you have never met?
   • Take steps to handle your dilemma. Perhaps you should ask a neighbor you trust about another. For example, you might ask, “How do you feel like a neighbor's house lives down the other street? Do you think they are good people? ”
   • As you reflect on a solution, your fear will be lessened. Making a plan of action will help you feel like you can do something about it. You may aim to visit a neighbor's house to say hello.

8. 

   Practice not to be afraid. To overcome the fear of being killed, you need to go through the process step by step. Research has shown that dealing with fear in an imagined situation or a real experience can help people overcome it. Creating positive habits is an ideal goal.
   • If you are afraid of going into your garage at night, build courage by opening the garage door first and standing there for a minute. The next day, put one foot inside and stand there for a minute. Gradually work towards standing in the garage for a few minutes.
   • Body language, especially posture, can help you feel strong and courageous. Stand in the garage in a "power" position. For example, put your hands on your hips like a superhero. Standing there for a few minutes until the adrenaline rush makes you feel strong.

9. 

   Be open to your emotions. It is important to allow yourself to be weak in your efforts to make change. You are dealing with harsh truths that may make you feel uncomfortable. Be ready to feel, speak up, and act instead of fighting it.
   • Being open to your emotions means describing your feelings in different situations. Do you feel a lump in your throat? Do you feel fidgety and almost panicked? Are you so tempted to run away and feel so dangerous that you don't dare get in your car at night? Trying to control your emotions and pretending you're not reacting is the opposite of what you need to do.
   • Remember that raising your mood will allow you to feel comfortable. You can have fun, be skeptical, and laugh at yourself. That will make you feel good.

10. 

    Notice if your fear escalates into phobia. Fear and phobia are not the same thing. When the fear develops to the extreme and irrational, for example, if you dare not leave the house for fear of being killed, it may be considered an obsession. Once you understand this, you will feel calm and in control of yourself and your fears, so you can begin the treatment process.
    • The physical symptoms of phobias include: sweating, shivering, feeling reeling, difficulty breathing, panic attacks, crying, groaning, tremors, constant vigilance, and never lettering. relaxation, avoidance and precautions such as refusing to go out at night, adopting protective measures such as keeping a watchdog, installing electric fences, and installing a siren alarm system.
    • Emotional signs of the phobia include: overwhelmed by anxiety or panic, fear of losing control or going mad, or knowing you are overdoing it but can't stop.
    • If you have been a victim in the past, it is easy to understand the cause of your fear. When your thoughts, feelings, and actions rise to the levels mentioned above, you may experience post-traumatic stress disorder. You need to contact a mental health professional for an accurate diagnosis.
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Method 2 of 3: Get expert help

1. 

   Find a therapist. If you avoid social contact, or feel overwhelmingly and unreasonable anxiety, or panic, consider seeking professional help from your therapist. Sometimes a normal fear develops into an obsession that requires treatment. Consider choosing a therapist to practice methods like:
   • Systemic desensitization: the classic method of eliminating the fear response and replacing it with the relaxation response.
   • Hypnotherapy: a form of communication through hypnosis, thereby creating imaginary images for the patient to change the pattern of thinking, feeling and senses.
   • Thinking Language Programming (NLP): a method of exploring the interactions between mind, language and the way in which they affect one's body and behavior.
   • Cognitive behavioral therapy: therapy allows you to examine your thoughts and behaviors to determine how to rebalance the wrong points. This therapy has been shown to be effective in managing anxiety and depression associated with phobias.

2. 

   Learn relaxation techniques. Relaxation helps to reduce stress and reduce anxiety. Regardless of whether your fear occurs before or while you are alone, at work, or in a social situation, take a minute to breathe and apply the relaxation skills you have learned. . These methods include:
   • Guided visualization: This is a method of focusing on calming images either by yourself or with the help of a therapist.
   • Biofeedback: An exercise technique that lowers heart rate and blood pressure, two factors associated with fear.
   • Breathing Exercises: Breathing exercises that help calm the nervous system involve the "fight or flight" response that is triggered when you feel fear.

3. 

   Find out potential causes. You won't be able to make real changes without identifying the cause of your behavior. Are you dealing with anxiety, stress or depression? You need to work with your counselor to uncover each layer of events and emotions that engulf you in this struggle.
   • Your fear may stem from a trauma you experienced as a child or as an adult. Talking to that trauma counselor and therapist will help you correct and manage your fear.
   • It is possible that the fear of death is related to identifiable and treatable disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia, or to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A counselor or psychiatrist will identify any disorders involved and help you deal with it. A psychiatrist can also prescribe medication to treat potential disorders and help you overcome your fears.

4. 

   Identify emotional triggers. When something interferes with your emotions and reminds you of a previous situation that distracts you, it is considered a trigger. Identifying fearful situations requires introspection (the process of trying to approach processes that occur within you).
   • You can diffuse your feelings by stopping the reaction when the trigger comes on. Once stopped, you can determine if the threat is real or not.
   • For example, you are extremely nervous and afraid that you will _____. Fight that thought by saying, “I can't predict the future, and I never ______ before. I can handle this. ”
   • Use positive monologue to calm your thoughts and anxiety. For example, if you feel fear, anxiety, or increased stress tell yourself, “I will be okay and it will be safe. The chance of me being killed is very low. Relax and breathe. Be comfortable ”.

5. 

   Set therapeutic goals. Determined to change behavior. In both physical and psychological therapy, setting goals can help. For example, you might set a goal where you want to increase happiness in your life by reducing your fear of being killed. Perhaps you want to be able to go around at night instead of being afraid to go out when it gets dark.
   • Pay full attention to the treatment process. Keep moving forward, even if something goes wrong. Your efforts will pay off and give you a good sense of success.

6. 

   Change your beliefs about anxiety. To do that, you have to analyze and determine if your worries really do what you believe in it. If not, now is the time to change. Challenge your beliefs by asking yourself:
   • Do you really feel more secure when you worry about being killed?
   • Is your worrying worth the time and energy you put into it?
   • Will worrying about it lead you to action, or do you just worry and remain passive?
   • Once you find that worrying is not an effective way to control the situation, you can find other ways to get such results.
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Method 3 of 3: Create a safer and healthier future

1. 

   Learn to accept uncertainties. People often feel fear when they are anxious about an uncertain outcome. This is a struggle, because no situation can promise complete certainty. So you need to learn to be comfortable with that. Uncertainty is an inevitable part of everyday life. The way you react to it is what you can make a change.
   • Use the "as if" method of acting you are comfortable with uncertainty. First, you need to review all the things you do with the aim of avoiding uncertainty just to feel more secure. Write down your answers to the following questions:
   • Do you double-check almost everything you do?
   • Do you avoid events or procrastinate a lot?
   • Do you need people to reassure you many times?
   • Do you need a lot of information before making even small decisions?
   • Next, identify the situations in which you feel anxious about uncertainty, and what you do to feel less anxious. Rate the situations on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the highest level of anxiety and 1 is the lowest.
   • Then, start with the least anxiety-provoking activity and act “as if” you accept the uncertainty. For example, going out to watch a movie without checking the crime rate in the area.
   • Finally, keep a record of the results. Ask yourself what you did, if it was harder or easier than expected, if things turned out well, and how you will respond if it doesn't go as you planned. Writing these things down will help you see your progress and pave the way for change in your behavior.

2. 

   Continue to develop coping skills. You are stronger than you think. You will continue to improve your coping skills as you successfully handle challenges. For example, notice how you deal with other fears in your life and apply those strategies. Also, observe how someone you admire deals with difficult situations. Ask them to suggest ways you can do it.
   • Following a problem solving pattern will give you a structure for making change. You have identified your fears and the emotions involved, and now you have to define clear goals, work on those goals, make adjustments if necessary, and track your progress.
   • Perhaps one goal of you is to schedule and record time worries about staying safe while attending school, going to work or shopping. Self-monitoring is one way to lead to real change.You can examine your behaviors and develop ways to change them.

3. 

   Have a panoramic view of life. It is important that you have a holistic view of what information you hear from others or the media. If you immerse yourself in negative information and thoughts, it will distort your view of reality.
   • Stop and think clearly, and you will find that the likelihood of such crimes happening again or even the first time is very low.
   • When you instinctively believe that the risk of getting killed is increasing, stop and ask yourself questions like: Are these risks real? Why do I think so? Are these events reliable? Taking the time to question your own thoughts can break the cycle of obsession with those thoughts.

4. 

   Accept yourself. Personal struggles can leave you feeling bad about yourself. Unfortunately, fear includes anxiety, so you may worry that you are worrying too much. Nervousness and anxiety are a natural part of life, and you can learn to control rather than try to eliminate those feelings, or feel bad about it.
   • Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you check your thoughts and develop new ways of thinking that are more effective about yourself, while also helping you manage your anxiety and anxiety.

5. 

   Get rid of what is hindering your progress. Inhibitions are feelings that make you restless and unable to act freely and naturally. To do this, you must feel safe with yourself, with your situation and with the people around you.
   • Practice letting go by rediscovering your playful and funny side. It is often said, a smile equals ten tonic scales. When you laugh and joke around, comfort increases, helping to reduce anxiety and suspense. Laughter and playfulness will help you stay optimistic and positive in difficult situations; It is also a proven healing remedy.
   • Schedule fun schedules to play: meet friends; play with children; organize events that interest you; go out to play sports with friends or go to karaoke together. The most important thing is to be in the midst of happy people.
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Advice

• People often overstate negative consequences before they happen and underestimate their ability to handle situations. Such thoughts are biased and need to be changed.
• Don't let anyone hurt you. If someone threatens you, seek protection from the authorities.

Warning

• If you have identified a real and clear danger of you being in danger, call law enforcement right away for assistance.
• Avoid watching movies or reading horror stories. They are designed to cause fear. You don't need to be scared any more!
• Be careful with weapons in self-defense. Possessing weapons that you don't know how to use can be dangerous - far more dangerous than the thought that scares you. You don't want to accidentally hurt yourself or someone else.