12 Safety Tips for Living Alone as a Woman

If you feel like something is off, don’t ignore it. Listen to your intuition - particularly in potentially unsafe situations. For example, if you’re walking home alone and someone is walking behind you or if you open the door to a person who makes you feel uneasy.

As one person on the internet says, becoming friends with your neighbors is “better than a security system!”
I know from experience how true this is. While I don’t know all my neighbors, I can count on those I’m friendly with to watch my back.
For example, I always ask my neighbors to keep an eye on my house when I’m away. And just a few weeks ago, my neighbor texted me to let me know that I had forgotten to close my car door.
Your neighbors might also be able to tell you if they’ve spotted any suspicious persons in the vicinity.
I made friends with my neighbors by simply saying hello to them and introducing myself, but you can also try attending local events.
By the way, having your neighbors as part of your support system isn’t just good from a safety perspective - I’ve found that it also can boost your mental health.

It sounds simple, but if you’re absent-minded, you may forget to lock your doors and windows when you leave your home or go to sleep.
However, locking your doors and windows is a vital practice and one that will probably have the biggest impact in keeping burglars away. Make sure that all potential entry points are secure, including the front door, balcony doors, and ground-level windows, to reduce the risk of break-ins.
I have a routine where I check that all the windows and doors are locked before I go to bed every night.
Note of caution: In some cases, such as if you live above the ground floor of your building, you should not lock your bedroom door, as it can be a safety hazard in case of an emergency.

When walking back home, be observant and alert, especially in unfamiliar areas and at night. Avoid distractions, like going on your phone, and if you feel unsafe or like someone is following you, do not continue walking.
Instead, go into a busy place, like a cafe, and wait until you are sure the person following you is gone. Or, even better, call a friend or family member to meet you there.
I recently also came across this video, which I think is worth bookmarking:

Being aware of your surroundings also extends to when you’re looking for a new place to live. For example, while you’re likely to tour it during the day, you should also come back at night to see if it meets your safety criteria (questions to ask yourself include: is the entryway well lit, are there any suspicious groups of people hanging around, etc.)
Specifically, when it comes to apartments, choose one that is on the second or upper floor (if you can). They’re harder to break into than an apartment on the ground level.

When you live on your own, there isn’t someone at home who will necessarily miss you if you don’t come back at your usual time. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have a trusted contact, whether a family member or a close friend, with whom you can check in regularly.
This doesn’t need to be elaborate. A simple text message at a predetermined time every day should give both you and your family member or best friend reassurance that everything is okay.
Of course, regular check-ins require discipline. If you’re not sure you’ll remember to check in with family or friends every day, look to apps like GuardOn, which are designed with safety for women in mind and can help you automatically keep your loved ones informed of your whereabouts.
With GuardOn, you can share your real life location with trusted contacts and give updates through the Check In feature. You can also use GuardOn to call for immediate help in an emergency.

If you’re worried about people breaking into your home, consider getting a home security system.
In my own place, I have a basic alarm that goes off if I don’t enter the security code in a specific amount of time when I return home. And I also have a motion-activated camera.
I particularly like my motion-activated camera because I get a notification whenever there’s someone on my property. I can also see who comes to my door on my phone, both in real-time and historically.
Many home security systems also come with stickers for windows, which can be a deterrent in itself.

Besides security alarms and cameras, you should also look into other smart home devices.
Some examples include:

• Smart locks. These give you an easy way to control who can access your home. Some smart locks allow you to open and close doors with a phone; others come with additional features like access privileges for family and friends or even voice control.
• Door contact sensors.These monitor every time doors open and close in your house and send you an alert when there’s unusual activity, like if a door opens when you’re typically at work.
• Smart smoke/heat detector. These activate when smoke or temperature change is detected.

There are plenty of guides online on how to DIY a smart home, and you can get most devices on Amazon or other online stores.

Learning a few self-defense moves can be empowering, even if you (hopefully) never get to use them.
Look for a local self-defense class or online resources. For example, Healthline has an article on eight self-defense moves every woman should know, and the YouTube channel SelfDefenseQueen has short videos of simple self-defense techniques by the world’s best instructions.

You never know when an emergency, like a natural disaster, home intrusion, or medical emergency, might happen, so always have a plan.
For example, in case someone broke into your home:

• Do you have an escape route?
• Do you own a weapon or pepper spray, and if so, do you always keep it on you, including in your bedroom when you go to sleep?
• Have you arranged with your neighbors for them to ring the police if you activate your car’s alarm?
• Do you use a safety app like GuardOn, where you can press a panic button to let your family and emergency services know you’re in danger?

I hate opening the door to strangers. I would avoid doing so entirely if I could, but I don’t want to miss out on mail or friends popping over unexpectedly.
What I found helpful is having a video doorbell - that way, I can see who is at the door through my phone, and if I don’t recognize them, I usually don’t open the door. A family member of mine has a peephole instead to do that same job (note that peepholes require you to sneak up to the door quietly to see who is out there).
Regardless, you should get a door chain. With it, you can open the door slightly to talk to the person outside or receive a package while preventing them from potentially barging inside. Just make sure the chain is installed with long screws. Otherwise, it won’t withstand forceful entry.
Also, in case you feel bad about not opening the door, don’t. As someone on an online forum said:

It might look like there’s no risk in sharing your favorite coffee place in town or the cute Christmas lights you’ve put on the exterior of your house online, but both can give away your location and, in some cases, even living situations and lifestyle.
To be on the safe side, adjust your privacy settings on all social media accounts and always be mindful of what you put out on the internet.

Apps like GuardOn can provide a much-needed safety net when living alone.
With GuardOn, you can:

• Share your real-time location with friends and family and send them automated check-ins to let them know you got somewhere safely.
• Send emergency alerts to local authorities and your loved ones with a tap.
• Get immediate assistance thanks to GuardOn’s 24/7 monitoring.