Walking alone not an irrational fear

DON’T make eye contact.

Act confident. Walk fast. Don’t panic.

This is the mantra I repeat to myself every night when I walk home from work.

The cold rainy mornings are a leading factor to the reason I hate winter, but the 5pm sunsets make this time of year even more chilling for a situation that isn’t weather related.

It’s walking outside once the sun goes down.

What is a brisk 20-minute walk in the morning is the opposite when walking alone at night.

Five minutes seems like a lifetime.

I’m not afraid of sharks, spiders or heights. I’m afraid of walking alone. The worst part is, this isn’t an irrational fear.

This is the reality for most young women in 2019.

Walking alone in daylight can be scary enough at the best of times, but walking home from anywhere past the hour of sunset is a challenge and concern for my safety.

I’d rather fork out the cost of an Uber than walk five minutes alone in the dark. As someone who doesn’t have a car licence and relies on public transport and walking, I usually opt to hit the pavement to get myself to most places. But all my outdoor steps for the day have to be completed before the sky turns black. I carry an umbrella in my bag at all times. Firstly, because the weather is highly unpredictable but, secondly, because it could be used to protect myself from more than just the rain. Even in winter, when the cold wind burns my face, I add an extra 10 minutes to my walk to and from the train station, just to avoid the shortcut that involves walking down a side street.

I never wear headphones. I walk as fast as my feet in my heels or sneakers will take me and I hold my phone in my pocket ready on speed-dial in case of an emergency.

I have no doubts there are good people walking the streets past 5pm, just wanting to get home to cook dinner and binge watch some TV like me.

But this is unfortunately the norm that women should be worried about their safety in public and always be prepared for the worst.

The sigh of relief I feel after walking home isn’t from taking my shoes off, it’s a sigh of relief just for making it inside my front door.