Reading Time: 7 minutes Keeping Yourself as Safe as Possible at All Times
This is a collaborative post by Ellie Jo with tips on safety.
Nowadays, there are so many things on all of our minds that we find ourselves thinking about all manner of things on a day to day basis. We think about happiness. We think about pleasure. We think about instant gratification and fulfillment. We think about all the things we want in life. But it’s important that we don’t let any of the basics slip to the back of our priorities when we pursue the luxuries and enjoyable things in life.
One thing that you need to always have at the forefront of your mind is safety. So often, so many of us compromise safety in order to achieve or focus on something else. But at the end of the day, if you’re not safe, you could find yourself in dangerous or problematic situations that could turn your world upside down.
You need to be safe in your own actions. You need to do your utmost to protect yourself from others’ actions – this shouldn’t be your responsibility, but unfortunately, there are plenty of bad people in the world and it’s sadly easier to change your own behavior rather than theirs. There are also non-human threats that you may need to protect yourself from at some point or another too. So, to get you started out in the right direction, here are a few things you can do to better guarantee your own safety throughout your life!
Tips to Keep Yourself Safe
Listen to Professional Health Advice
This year, more than ever, many of us have learned the sheer importance of listening to medics, scientists, and other professionals in health and healthcare. The coronavirus pandemic has swept across the world, killing hundreds of thousands, hospitalizing many more, and resulting in a near worldwide lockdown situation over the past three months.
When it comes down to it, these professionals, who have been studying and training in the treatment of illnesses and other conditions for years, know better than the vast majority of us. So, if they recommended certain measures, it’s important that we follow them.
If they say it’s best that we stay home and minimize contact with others, do your utmost to implement this change into your day to day life. If they say that you should keep two meters away from others when you do go out, stay two meters away from others. If they recommended masks and face coverings to slow the spread of the virus, wear them to slow the spread of the virus.
There’s not much use arguing that you know better based on absolutely no knowledge other than a few Facebook threads created by others with no experience or expertise in the field. This attitude can be applied to other aspects of healthcare too. It’s generally best to follow doctors’ advice to maintain good health!
Consider Self-Defence Classes
The vast majority of us have had a fleeting moment at some point or another where we’ve considered self defence classes. Perhaps we’ve found ourselves in a situation where we’ve found ourselves feeling vulnerable at some point. Perhaps we’ve heard of someone else finding themselves in a difficult situation where they’ve found themselves in danger or hurt. You may have simply considered it as a preliminary measure.
Now, hopefully, you never find yourself in a situation where you might have to use any methods of self defense. But, it can put your mind at ease knowing that you know how to safely defend yourself while only using reasonable force. It’s also one of those skills that you’ll be glad you have if you ever find yourself in a situation where they can be put to good use.
So, rather than only considering this option, why not implement it? There are plenty of different classes around. You just need to look for options in your local area. You could always check out reviews to see how others have found the experience and you never know – you might find that it sparks an interest in a particular martial art and you develop a hobby from it!
Know Your Legal Rights
We’ve seen an uprising across America based around institutionalized racism, which has highlighted injustices within the justice system revolving around officers not doing their jobs properly and violating others’ rights. It’s absolutely essential that you understand your own and others’ rights in the area you live in, so you can try to uphold them as best possible for both yourself and others, and so that you can raise awareness and bring attention to instances where rights have been violated.
Of course, there are so many different rules, protocols, and other factors that differ from one area to another that it would be impossible to list them all out in just one short article. But it’s important that you take some responsibility and get to grips with rules and regulations in your own area or other areas that you spend time in. Highlight injustices that you see and raise awareness.
You should know about arrest protocol, detainment protocol, bail bonds, legal representation and various other different areas of law enforcement that could impact you or someone else someday. It’s always best to be over-educated than undereducated in this area.
Use Sunscreen
This may seem like a bit of an odd one to throw in. Many of us only use sunscreen while on holiday in hot locations for the sheer purpose of avoiding sunburn. But this is because very few of us take the danger of UV rays seriously.
UV rays are present from the sun at all times, even on cloudy or overcast days. They can damage your skin – with detrimental effects ranging from appearing older to potentially life-threatening conditions such as skin cancer. This is why it’s absolutely essential that you use sunscreen or products with SPF on a day to day basis. Some people may deem this over the top. But it really isn’t. It’s so much better for your health and wellbeing!
Protect Your Mental Health
Nowadays, more and more of us are opening up about our mental health. The taboo and stigma are less dominant in discourse on these matters and we’re becoming increasingly aware of how mental health problems can impact our day to day life.
If you are worried that you may be suffering from mental health issues of any sort, it’s essential that you consult a professional. A doctor or therapist will be able to diagnose any existing conditions and can get you on the right path to feeling better.
This can include medication, therapy, or a combination of the two. Simply understanding your state of mind can make all the difference and talking about it can lift a huge weight from your shoulders.
Remember that there are other sources of support out there too, ranging from support groups to helplines. Take a look around and try different things out. You’ll eventually find something that works for you and helps you a lot!
Protect Your Confidence
Of course, there are plenty of threats to your mental health out there too. So many of us are negatively impacted on a daily basis by, essentially, companies selling us images of “perfection”, purposefully knocking our self confidence and telling us that we’ll feel better again if we spend money on their products.
This crosses multiple industries, but some of the most detrimental tend to be the fashion and beauty industries. Often, the products will not buy you happiness and self-acceptance, as your confidence will simply be knocked again and again to encourage you to buy other products.
So, protect yourself from these constant attacks to your confidence and mental health. Cut out the middle person. Sure, decades of beauty ideals are hard to eradicate overnight. But by simply not feeding into it or engaging with it, you can start to feel happier and more comfortable in your own skin.
You can protect your own emotions. You can protect your own confidence. Embrace yourself as you are and focus more on health and overall wellbeing than Instagram likes and the latest trends.
These are just a few different ways to stay as safe as possible at all times. Of course, there are plenty of other ways out there. It would genuinely be impossible to list them all in just one short article. But hopefully, we’ve helped to highlight a few different areas that you might not have taken into consideration before.
Actively protecting yourself from as many threats or issues as possible can make all the difference to your life in general. So, start focusing on the areas above to get things started out in the right direction!
Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.