How to Deal with Fear of Being Killed

If you feel anxiety and fear that you have been the victim of a crime or even been killed, there are a few things you can do to deal with that fear. Are you too defensive and cautious to the point of exhaustion? If so, exercise control by dispelling your fears, seeking professional help, and creating a safer, healthier future.

Table of Contents

Dispel fear

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Take steps to ensure physical safety. Whether scared or not, you should always ensure the safety of yourself and those around you. There are things you can do to take control of the safety around you:

Lock doors and windows.
Leave the lights on at night or use a night light.
Keep your phone with you.
Install an alarm system in your home.

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Take precautions when you are in the danger zone. The reality is that some areas are prone to violence. You need to work hard to create a safe environment for yourself. In addition to the things listed above, there are a few steps you can take to prevent violence:

Always go with another person. Never go alone.
Avoid walking in dark areas, alleys or bushes. If you must walk on the street, you must be careful to watch for traffic passing by because they may not see you.
Wear reflective clothing when out at night so passersby can see you.
Join a local vigilante group to keep the streets safe. You can make some friends and have interesting experiences in crime prevention.
When going to the car, insert the key ring on your finger, like a cat’s claw. Hold the key facing out so it can be used as a self-defense weapon.
Carry a siren in case someone approaches you against your will.

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Learn to defend yourself. Feelings of vulnerability and physical weakness can cause anxiety. Learning self-defense skills can help you feel stronger and able to protect yourself from potential dangers.

Consider taking martial arts or kickboxing classes. Physical activity will help you manage stress and build confidence. ^{[1] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Change thoughts. When you find yourself thinking about your fears, you should find a way to think about something else. Obsessive thoughts will only make things worse. Distracting your thoughts from something else can help stop the vicious cycle of anxiety that accompanies thoughts of excessive fear.

Go for a walk or chat with a friend to focus on something more pleasant.

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Self-study. Read statistics about actual crime in your neighborhood. You will notice that very few crimes occur relative to the population rate. The goal of this is to give you facts so you can have healthier thoughts.

Research shows that factors that contribute to fear of crime include: gender, age, race, lack of connection with neighbours, lack of trust in the police force, crime rates, past victims causes of crime, perception of risk, and assessment of the seriousness of the crime situation. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Face the fear. Identify what scares you and fight it. ^{[3] X Research Resources} Identifying specific fears will help you find solutions. Sit down and make a list of the things that lead you to the fear of being killed. For example, did you witness someone being attacked or killed as a child? If that’s the case, it’s possible that your fear is rooted in that as well.

Fight your fears by listing possible solutions. For example, if you’re afraid to take a shower because you think you’ll be attacked, you can lock the bathroom door or ask a friend to stand outside to warn you if something happens. This is a small step, not a permanent solution, but a good start.

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Make an action plan. Most fears will be overcome with a plan of action. Overcoming fear of being killed is no exception. Define what your main goals are, map out the steps to do it, and follow through with your plan.

List factors that you believe contribute to your risk of being killed. Is your fear related to a neighborhood living down the street that you have never met?
Step by step handle your dilemma. Perhaps you should ask a neighbor you trust about the other neighbor. For example, you might ask, “How do you feel about the neighbor who lives down the street? Do you think they are good people?”
When you think about the solution, you will be less afraid. Having an action plan will help you feel like you can do something to improve the situation. You might aim to visit your neighbor’s house to say hello.

Get professional help

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Find a therapist. If you avoid social contact, or feel excessive and irrational anxiety, or panic, consider seeking professional help from a therapist. Sometimes a normal fear develops into a phobia and requires treatment. ^{[9] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to Source} Think about choosing a therapist who practices methods such as:

Systemic desensitization: the classical method eliminates the fear response and replaces it with a relaxation response. ^{[10] X Trusted Source Simply Psychpogy Go to Source}
Hypnotherapy: a form of communication through the process of hypnosis, thereby creating an imaginary image for the patient to change the way of thinking, feeling and senses. ^{[11] X Research Source}
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): a method that explores the interplay between mind and language and how they affect a person’s body and behavior. ^{[12] X Research Source}
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: therapy that allows you to examine your thoughts and behaviors to determine how to rebalance the mismatches. This therapy has been shown to be effective in managing anxiety and depression associated with phobias. ^{[13] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Learn relaxation techniques. ^{[14] X Research Source} Relaxation helps reduce stress and anxiety. Regardless of whether the fear arises before or while you are alone, at work, or in a social situation, stop for a minute to take a breath and apply the relaxation skills you’ve learned. . These methods include:

Guided visualization: This is a method of focusing on peaceful images that you create yourself or with the help of a therapist.
Biofeedback: An exercise technique that lowers heart rate and blood pressure, two factors associated with fear.
Breathing exercises: Breathing exercises help calm the nervous system involved in the “fight or flight” response that is triggered when you feel fear. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Find the potential causes. You won’t be able to make real change without identifying the cause of your behavior. Are you struggling with anxiety, stress or depression? You need to work with a counselor to peel away the layers of facts and emotions that have drawn you into this struggle.

Your fear may stem from a trauma you experienced as a child or as an adult. Talking to a trauma counselor and therapist will help you adjust and manage your fear.
It is possible that the fear of being killed is related to identifiable and treatable disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia, or to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A counselor or psychiatrist will identify the disorders involved and help you deal with them. Psychiatrists can also prescribe medication to treat underlying disorders and help you work through your fears.

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Identify emotional triggers. When something has an emotional impact and recalls a previous situation that confused you, it is considered a trigger. ^{[16] X Research Source} Identifying fear-inducing situations requires introspection (the process of trying to access the processes happening within you). ^{[17] X Research Source}

You can distract your feelings by stopping reacting when the stimulus comes on. Once stopped, you can determine if the threat is real.
For example, you are extremely nervous and afraid that you will _____. Counter that thought by saying, “I can’t predict the future, and I’ve never ______ before. I can handle this.”
Use positive self-talk to calm thoughts and worries. For example, if you feel fear, nervousness, or increased stress, tell yourself, “I’ll be fine and I’ll be fine. The chances of me being killed are very low. Relax and breathe. How comfortable.”

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Set therapeutic goals. Determined to change behavior. In both psychological and physical therapy, setting goals can help. ^{[18] X Research Source} For example, you might set up a goal where you want to increase your joy in life by reducing your fear of being killed. Maybe you want to be able to walk around at night instead of being afraid to go out when it’s dark.

Pay full attention to the treatment. Keep moving forward, even when the going gets tough. Your efforts will pay off and give you a good feeling of success.

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Change your beliefs about anxiety. To do that, you must analyze and determine if your worries are actually doing what you believe in them. ^{[19] X Research Sources} If not, now is the time for a change. Challenge your beliefs by asking yourself:

Do you really feel more secure when you’re worried about being killed?
Is your anxiety worth the time and energy you put into it?
Does worrying about it lead you to action, or do you just worry and remain passive?
Once you see that worrying is not an effective way to manage a situation, you can find other ways to get the same result.

Creating a Safer and Healthier Future

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Learn to accept uncertainty. People often feel fear when they are worried about an uncertain outcome. ^{[20] X Research Sources} This is a struggle, because no situation can promise complete certainty. So you need to learn to be comfortable with that. Uncertainty is an inevitable part of everyday life. How you react to it is what makes a difference.

Use the “as if” method of acting you are comfortable with uncertainty. ^{[21] X Research Sources} First, you need to review all the things you do with the aim of avoiding uncertainty just to feel more secure. Write down answers to the following questions:
Do you double-check almost everything you do?
Do you avoid events or procrastinate repeatedly?
Do you need someone to reassurance over and over again?
Do you need a lot of information before making even small decisions?
Next, identify situations in which you feel anxious about uncertainty, and things you do to feel less anxious. Rate the situation on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the highest level of anxiety and 1 is the lowest.
Then, start with the least anxiety-provoking activity and act “as if” you accept uncertainty. For example, going out to the movies without checking the crime rate in the area.
Finally, keep records of the results. Ask yourself what you did, was it harder or easier than expected, did things turn out well, and how would you respond if it didn’t go as you planned. Documenting those things will help you see your progress and open the way for you to change your behavior.

Advice

People often exaggerate negative consequences before they happen and underestimate their ability to handle the situation. Such thoughts are biased and need to be changed.
Don’t allow anyone to harm you. If someone threatens you, go to the authorities for protection.

Warning

If it is determined that there is a clear and real danger of being in danger, call law enforcement immediately for help.
Avoid watching movies or reading horror stories. They are made for the purpose of causing fear. You don’t have to be scared anymore!
Be careful with weapons for self-defense. Possession of a weapon that you do not know how to use can be dangerous – far more dangerous than the thought that frightens you. You certainly don’t want to accidentally injure yourself or someone else.

Steps

Dispel fear

Get professional help

Creating a Safer and Healthier Future

Advice

Warning

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