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

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We're lucky in that we live near a forest. I go walking with the DC there occasionally and DH goes running regularly. I, however, always feel on edge if I'm in the forest alone and can't get up the motivation to learn how to run mainly because I can't convince myself it's safe. I mean, it probably is. I've never heard of any issues around here and DH can't understand where I'm coming from so thinks I'm being pathetic and lazy. Which may be part of the issue!

How do I overcome this irrational feeling? I need to do some exercise, I can't keep up with the DC and I need to walk, I think, with the aim of eventually trying to run as recovery from an operation. Is it just a case of go often enough and eventually you won't jump at every rustle or crack?

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 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.

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 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 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.

But You have been taught from an early age to be scared , and all around you people will tell you it's dangerous whereas boys aren't taught to think like that
I think there's probably a lot of truth in this.

I guess beyond that the main thing is just not to pass the fear on to any daughters you have.
Ive started thinking about that. DD isn't at the stage yet where she might want to go on a run alone, but she could soon be.

I suspect you are at more risk of being in a serious car accident than being attacked when out for a run but you still get in a car point taken....

What specifically are you scared of? I don't know 😳

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'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.

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

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 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.

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).

*indecent, obviously

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.

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 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.