Feel Safer at Home When You Live Alone

When you live by yourself or you spend hours home alone, the evenings can get a little unnerving. This is especially problematic if you have the bad habit of letting your imagination run wild. Even the smallest creaking sound may send you into a panic. By putting some of these suggestions into practice, you can help yourself feel safer.

Increase the lighting.

If you're like most people, brightening your environment will help you feel safer. Try adding CFL or LED light bulbs to the fixtures on the exterior of your home, so they will last longer and brighten up the area. Connecting them to a motion detector can help set your mind at ease by alerting you whenever there's motion near the home. Adding nightlights to the halls, bathroom, and kitchen may also help you feel safe without running up electric bills.

Invest in smart home devices.

Items such as a doorbell camera or motion sensors can help you keep your home and online orders safe. You will feel an increase in peace of mind after you have these security devices installed. You may have to register the equipment or have it installed, but these types of devices can help deter criminal activity. Criminals watch for smart home devices and tend to avoid homes that are armed with this equipment.

Rid your home of tall bushes and trees.

Tall shrubbery surrounding your home provides a great hiding place for burglars, so it's a good idea to consider getting rid of them. Replace them with flowers and smaller greenery to add appeal to your home without compromising safety. This will help improve the security of your home and it will help you eliminate some of the things that are making you feel afraid. For the same reason, remove tree branches that are relatively close to the home and take down lattices. While these features may make your home more attractive, they also provide sources of ingress and egress for burglars and clever animals.

Entertain guests.

If you start feeling paranoia creeping up on you, contacting friends can be a great way to overcome it. Invite a few friends over or throw a party. In addition to taking your mind off of the things that were bothering you, this will also help deter criminal activity. Home invaders are more likely to avoid homes that are often bustling with activity. If you throw parties or entertain guests at odd or irregular hours, your patterns will be less predictable. This is something criminals will be eager to avoid. They'll look for homes that are more reliably vacant or dark.

Work out a plan of action.

You'll feel much safer if you work out a means of handling emergencies that might occur. This can include getting an inspected fire extinguisher, keeping a weapon within reach, or adding emergency contacts to your phone. Additionally, you should work out a plan of escape from each room, so you won't panic in an emergency. In developing a plan of action, it may help to get to know your neighbors. If they know you live alone or you spend your evenings alone, they may keep an eye out for suspicious circumstances. Developing friendships with others in the neighborhood can help you feel safer even when you are alone.

Distract yourself.

Try to take your mind off of things by engaging in activities that you enjoy. If you don't feel like going out, find something to do at home. Consider reading a book, listening to music, or watching a funny movie. Before you know it, you'll have forgotten your irrational fears and you'll feel more relaxed.

Feeling safer at home starts with ensuring that you really are safe. Installing home protection technology and limiting access to your home is a good start. When your home is more secure, it will be up to you to accept you've done all that you can to secure it. At this point, all you can do is try to relax and look for ways to make your fears seem less significant. Distracting yourself and communicating with friends will help you feel safer and happier.