15 Women Disclose Their Little Secrets to Remain Safe When Living Alone

In critical situations, our brain has the capacity to come to the rescue. When identifying a threat, it can trigger a survival mechanism and take the necessary action. However, for women living alone, to be actually prepared for potential risks in advance enhances personal safety. To address this, we’ve compiled precautionary measures that 15 female Redditors has taken that you might have never thought of.

• Having a pair of obviously male shoes. I still have a pair of spare shoes from my older brother, who wore significantly larger shoes than I do, and they really stand out on the shoe rack because he had done some weird spray-painting on them, and they look obviously worn. Every single time anyone comes to visit, I see them notice the shoe rack and that unique pair of much larger shoes, without fail. I’m convinced it helps make them think a guy is around, especially since at least a small handful of visitors, mainly handymen of various kinds, have brought it up. © Unknown User / Reddit

• I love living in an apartment building for this. The peephole in the door so u can see who it is, but they can’t see you. If it’s not the pizza boy, I just pretend I’m not home! © velveeta_blue / Reddit

• Find a way to check who is at the opposite side of the door. I always yell, “Who is this” and hear the answer before opening my door to anyone. Also, keep in mind, nothing stops you from looking through a windowed door at someone who just knocked and do nothing. © Kermit_Purple_II / Reddit

• Have some boxers hanging from drying racks and other obvious menswear out and about so that it not only seems that there’s a frequent male presence, but that there is actually a man that lives here and will return. © oopsyikesoops / Reddit

• I have a window on the door to my house which can be opened. I never open the door straightaway. Open and check who it is. if it is the postman with a letter, I just take the letter from the window and don’t even open the door for them. © redditor_pro / Reddit

• I have a half circle drive with a phone line that goes over it. It’s not crazy to see people kind of parked at one end of our driveway or a utility vehicle there. I always peep out the window to see what they are doing. It also helps that I have two dogs that bark at specific kinds of vehicles, like the trash trucks, large utility vehicles, and anything with a wagon or a boat hookup, and even the smaller of the two has a bark like a big dog. © PoiLethe / Reddit

• Have a large dog food/water bowl like this. Crooks don’t like dogs, especially quiet dogs. So the dog bowl without the dog is often enough to deter people. © ImFineHow_AreYou / Reddit

• My husband wears size 13 shoes and used to travel for work weeks at a time. He had a pair of insulated work boots (rated to −80) so they were huge. I kept them inside my garage, right next to the door. So whenever I came or left, if anyone was watching, they would see those giant boots. © Momma_tried378 / Reddit

• My mama always says to act as crazy as possible, and it’s such good advice. I’m almost never creeped on for more than one minute, because I’ll start acting like I’m paranoid and say delusional/vaguely confrontational things. © velveeta_blue / Reddit

• Making a scene draws attention and signals the person needs help. Once, a guy went up behind a woman and got her in a bear hug. At first, I thought she knew him, but when she started yelling at him to get off of her, it got people’s attention. Another woman and I helped her because we could see she needed/wanted help. © exscapegoat / Reddit

• After I bought a home, I had a locksmith come to replace the locks. He discovered hidden damage to the door, which looked like someone had kicked it in at some point. I couldn’t replace the door at the time, so he strongly advised me to buy a Door Guardian. Fortunately, I haven’t had someone try to kick in my door to test it, but it’s a solid choice if you want peace of mind. © FreeFortuna / Reddit

• You know those cat keychains that can poke an eye out? Carry it in your fist anytime you open a door. That way if they try to force themselves through the door, you are close enough to get them which might buy you a second or two to shut and lock it. © Unknown User / Reddit

• If you’re in a situation where you can’t run, and you might have to fight, act crazy, like make animal noises, get that weird look in your eye, start doing weird body movements... They don’t like that. © Unknown User / Reddit

• I had to live alone for a few months as mom and dad were in a different state for work. I used to hang their clothes in the balcony so that no one finds out that I am actually home alone. And it worked, even our neighbors didn’t know. © Due-Slip-5273 / Reddit

• Always remember that being rude can save your life. Slam that door, get loud and angry, yell at the person to go away. © Unknown User / Reddit

Recently, a female TikTok user has shared an important cautionary tip for women who live alone, and the video got viral.