How do you get used to e.g. walking alone in the forest?

I personally feel safer in the woods than in a town. I think parkland in a city is more likely to have people loitering in bushes ready to flash you due to the easy access- it's a lot more effort to walk a mile in the countryside on the off chance someone walks that direction too.

I know there's always the risk of walking: running alone (not just assault bur injury etc) but I'm willing to take that risk.

I have been assaulted on more than one occasion on busses so in my head they're a lot riskier- but I'll still get the bus if needed.

My personal view is that you don’t need to get used to it. If it “feels” unsafe some how “thus time”, just avoid it or try to go at times when there are more people around. This applies wether you are in a forest or in the middle of a city.

I used to feel like this. Very much a city girl, I was so scared of county areas even in bright sunshine, but would happily walk through almost any urban area at night! You just need to slowly build up to it. Time yourself walking ten minutes into the woods and then turn around and walk out. Gradually build up the time. You’ll be fine!

Women and girls are more at risk in a house with a male friend, relative or partner, than in a forest.

We need to think about why we tell girls to fear adventure more than bad relationships.

*indecent, obviously

I am envious of women who don’t have that intense fear of walking in places like woods etc alone. I could never do it. I’ve been a victim of independent exposure and several weirdos too many times and now I won’t go to those sorts of places alone (I live rurally too).

I totally get this. It depends on the time of day for me. I take my dogs and have one of those leads for when we are running which they can clip onto. I love running/walking outdoors.

Our house backs onto woodland and I don't even give it a second thought. The only time I don't like it is in high summer when the foliage and undergrowth is very deep and dark, it does feel a bit creepy then... but that's just my human risk perception knowing that I can't see what's around me, nothing to do with being a woman.

I also walk through the fields near our house on my own. It's fine 🤷

I don't walk in the woods anymore after the dog became seriously spooked, growling, tail down, hackles up then ddog took off with me being pulled along behind, we fell out into a pub carpark in a tangle of arms and legs, actually tripped over each other.
Ddog was still pulling to get away and kept looking back.
Never again, my advice is to stay on the roads

I've always gone places by myself. Walking, running, cycling, kayaking.
It would be super weird not to.
I'm probably not the person to say anything useful to OP, she's starting in a completely different place.

There are LOTS of cheap running clubs if you want company.

Risk analysis is hard

Wrt your daughter - it's not just running

If you watch parents with small children in a playground you will hear "be careful" used around the girls much more than the boys

As teenagers a parent is much more likely to ask the girls exactly what she is doing where she will be has she got her phone and money for a taxi
( and to sone extent we need to drill this in ) just not so much as it starts to limit

I feel safer in countryside than along places like off-road cycle routes or the city centre. No loitering drunks/ drug addicts and a preditor would need a very, very long attention span to wait between one dog walker/ rambler to the next. No chance of drive-by heckling either.

I live very near woodland, and walk through the woods and the fields on the other side, alone, nearly every day. I don't give it a thought.
I come across the occasional dog walker and it's ettiquette to greet each other with a smile and a 'hi'.
Once you start doing it and you have a standard route, you'll feel more confident..I know my route like the back of my hand and am absolutely comfortable on it.

It helps that, accidentally, I seem to take my circular route clockwise, while everyone else seems to take it anti clockwise. So I don't tend to get anyone coming up behind me, which probably helps.

I am much happier in a forest by myself than a high street to be honest. It is very rare for attacks to occur in the countryside. You are more likely to break something tripping over a root.

This.

I’d feel safer at night in a forest than in a town among drunken twats.

I love going to the woods on my own albeit with my dogs. I quite often go at dusk too and it's dark by the time I get back.

If that's aimed at me, I'm not 'living my life in fear'. Male sexual violence against women is a real thing. We read about it every day and many of us experience it directly. The three times I've been sexually assaulted in my life (groped) it's been by male strangers in public places. I don't hide away, I live my life and I go camping and hiking solo several times a year and I take steps to keep myself safe. My point was it's not unreasonable for women to have these fears and, like you said in your first post, there are things you can do to feel safer and build up your confidence. Dismissing women who aren't 100% confident striding about anywhere and everywhere as 'living in fear' - like they're unreasonable hysterics - isn't particularly helpful.

I am much happier in a forest by myself than a high street to be honest. It is very rare for attacks to occur in the countryside. You are more likely to break something tripping over a root.

But maybe build up to it. Try a short run but have tracking on your phone. There is a SOS alarm you can get which will go off if it detects a fall. Or do a circular run with your DH but in opposite directions so you meet him at some point of the route. Alternatively get a 10 minute head start on a run and see when he catches up with you.

I grew up in a place where I was far more at risk in my home than if I was in a forest, woods, fields, moors, mountains, beach.

I am very happy to be out in any environment on my own, feel very safe and very comfortable. But especially in rural places, isolated areas, miles from anywhere, I’m very often the only person for miles, there’s nothing to be concerned about. I enjoy wild camping and long distance hiking and being alone with my thoughts. It not that I’ve never been assaulted or intimidated in public places, I have. Just nowhere near as many times as I have in my own home.

Go to the ons

Read the data

Live your life in fear if you must but at least try to understand the risks

The 'men are at higher risk' stats relate to being killed and are greatly influenced my crime in cities, such as knife attacks. Women are much, much more likely than men to be victims of rape, sexual assault and crimes such as flashing, and these crimes are much more prevalent than murder. Also we are physically more vulnerable than men, who at least have a chance of fighting of a male attacker. I completely agree about keeping things in proportion and not letting it stop you from doing what you want to do, just that it's not unreasonable to be concerned about the risks men pose to lone women.

Because that's what all the data shows?

Something like
9 in 10 assaults on women are by someone they know and half by their immediate partner
And men are ? 3 times more likely to suffer a violent attack

(UK)

It doesn't sound like a rational fear, as you are clearly no safer with DC than on your own, and it sounds like you feel OK when they are with you? That said, you feel how you feel, and it is hard enough to motivate yourself to exercise, without battling fear as well, so is there some other sort of exercise you can start with, running on a treadmill or similar?

If it's the rustles and cracks - forest noises - that are scaring you, a way to overcome that would be to go into the forest, find a nice place to sit still, then just watch. Take a flask of tea and snacks! The longer you are there, the more you will see, birds, insects, plants, forests are amazing and bursting with life! You'll find that the rustles are bird's searching for food, etc.
It takes time to adjust your mind because we are all conditioned these days to live in fear of someone jumping out out us, but that so rarely happens. Learn to love the forest, you are so lucky to have it on your doorstep, I am jealous!

I understand your anxiety. I live in the new forest. I regularly talk the kids out for walks, with and without partner. I don't think I'd be able to do it solo though!

Yes, slim chance of anything happening but I don't want to risk that. It's shit!!

I’d see if you could borrow a neighbour/friends dog. I love walking my dog by myself through the forest and even do it in winter during the night, wearing my head torch. Definitely more confidence the more you do it.