I don't feel safe going out in the dark anymore

[Mamabear04]

I've always lived in cities and have never had any bother going out at night time or when it gets dark. Tonight I returned to working evenings and finished a little after 9pm, I had a short 5 min walk to my car and tbh I just felt so uneasy. I've not really been out and about at night for years really starting from covid and then with having a few babies I've just stayed home or if I have been out it's been with friends or DH. Tonight I just felt so scared even though its an area I know well and actually grew up in. Its not the best area but it's a million times better than when I was a kid and I've always felt safe there. I've been fortunate enough to never have been attacked as I know so many other women have been. I've only really had one noteable scary experience when a man followed me on the last train home and he didnt seem in his right mind but all ended OK and I got home safe. AIBU to now be scared of being out when it's dark?

*returned to work after having DC2

*returned to work after having DC2

I can’t really say if you’re being unreasonable or not but I can say i feel exactly the same. It isn’t great bc i do feel like it’s affecting my quality of life, but i just can’t shake the anxiety over women like Sarah Everard. I guess you just have to decide your own risk tolerance and be honest about what the fear is costing you to decide if it is worth it

When I collect my DD from school in December it's already dark. It will be very limiting to your life to only go out in daylight.

I get scared in the dark too when it's extremely quiet. I don't think I'd be okay going out 8pm-9pm without DH. It's normal to feel like this. I think I'm more scared because of the amount of women who have been reported to have been murdered raped etc in the dark.

Too many incidents happening everywhere... ofcourse our anxiety levels will increase.... rather safe than sorry 😞 I don't go out in the night

There's a canal towpath near me. After dark, it changes.. the dog walkers that chat as they wander all vanish and the drunk aggressive arguing idiots appear.
There's a lot of aggression that seems to come out round here as soon as the sun goes down, I stay in as.much as I can, but you can hear the raised voices, smashing bottles, loud engines, big dogs etc.
I hate it.

People are scum and the scum is spreading.

I live close to a city centre and walk home at all hours of the night, taking basic precautions. When I lived on the edge of a village and couldn’t sleep I would throw a coat over my nightclothes, put on boots and a head torch, and go for a walk in the fields at 2am.

Well of course you're not U to be scared, how you feel is how you feel. But your life will be INCREDIBLY limited if you never leave the house after dark, so you need to find a way through it. Deep breath, sensible precautions and crack on.

I would try and work through your issues, OP. The effects of curtailing your life likely outweigh the slim likelihood of attack.