Living alone for the first time is often accompanied by nagging fears and worries. People living alone would often worry about things like running out of money, having mean neighbors, slipping in the tub and being unable to reach the phone, and most importantly, how to stay safe and secure in their new surroundings.
Security experts have always warned that women living alone are a soft target for criminals. Here are a few ways for men and women living alone to ensure that they avoid criminal attacks from people who may want to take advantage of their solitude.
1. Always Secure the Front Doors
Securing the front doors of your home is serious business. A lot of people inadvertently make it easy for criminals to gain entry into their homes by living their doors open when heading out. Others have front doors with locks that can be picked by almost anyone. A good tip for staying safe at all times is to make it extremely hard for anyone to break into your house. Keeping your home securely locked at all times protects your life and privacy. The harder you make it for a burglar to enter, the less likely a break-in will occur.
If you live alone and do not have the habit of locking the doors behind you, there’s a chance you may get home one day and find that someone has been rummaging through your things, or that worse, some of your valuables are gone. This creates a very unnerving feeling as you have no way of knowing who’s been in your home and if or when they’ll be back. Many home invasion cases could be prevented by simply locking up when living. Asides from keeping the doors, also try to keep the blinds drawn as often as you can. When you have your blinds up, lurkers can always have a good view of what’s going on inside the house.
2. Keep the Garage Doors Locked
Many people often spend a lot of money securing their front doors without giving much thought to the garage doors. However, a home is said to only be as safe as its weakest point of entry. For many homes, the weakest entry point is the garage. You can secure your garage door by installing such innovations as smart garage door openers, motion-detecting floodlights around the garage door, and security cameras. There are garage door companies that could help install all these and more. According to Loves Garage Doors, a business that specializes in garage door repair in Phoenix AZ “a good garage door company should aim to provide customers with a better understanding of how their garage door systems work”
3. Don’t Let Strangers Know That You Live Alone
The excitement that comes with moving into your place may make you want to share this news on social media. Although telling your friends and acquaintances that you live alone is unlikely to cause harm, there is a chance that some might try to take advantage of the fact that there’s no one else living with you. According to the CDC, almost 1 in every 5 women has experienced some sort of physical attack in their lifetime. To keep these risks at the barest minimum, it’s better to refrain from discussing your living arrangement, especially with people you barely know.
4. Invest in Home Security Systems
The days are gone when security systems were just for the wealthy. This technology is now available to everyone who truly wants one, even reasonably priced surveillance cameras and sound alarms that can scare burglars away.
It is also necessary to have your doors and locks checked from time to time by a locksmith. Never hesitate to change faulty locks, if one is discovered.
5. Make Friends With Your Neighbors
Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you must introduce yourself to neighbors and be on good terms with them when you’re new to an area. Let them know a little bit about you and your whereabouts (especially when traveling)
In times of trouble, your neighbors may prove to be your most valuable asset, as they may be more willing to help a friend than a stranger. Furthermore, if they know a little more about you, they may be able to detect whether there’s unusual activity going on in and around your home.
Having a neighbor to turn to for help, will go a long way toward making you feel more at ease living alone. However, you must note that it’s not necessary to become best friends with neighbors, especially when you know next to nothing about them. Never divulge more information to them than you need to.
6. Sign Up For Defense Classes
With the increased crime rate, it is advised that everyone staying alone(especially women) needs to master some basic self-defense techniques like how to slip out of strong grips, knock people out, and injure them in places that hurt. These techniques get you prepared to fight off any form of assault you might encounter while staying alone.
