Are You Paranoid or just being cautious? Which is it?

Are you someone who gets paranoid every time a situation crops up and you feel yourself getting out of control and thinking the worst?  Do you find out that you are acting on it and making something big out of nothing? 

It can happen to all of us, where we begin to worry about things that haven't yet happened.  And sometimes it doesn't happen and other times it does.  Do you want to be prepared or do you just wait and let it happen without warning?

Or are you the person who thinks a situation through, gets a little paranoid, but then believes that most likely it wouldn't happen, but hey, maybe I should be prepared just in case?

Like say you think someone is cheating on you, but you don't know all the facts yet.  You aren't sure if he/she is or not.  Do you A:  jump the gun and bombard him with accusations?    Or do you B:  Wait, get all the facts and then ask your questions with a sane mind? Or are you the person who could be worrying and getting paranoia that you are going to walk in on him/her having sex with someone else?  Don't think the worst until it happens.

Or lets say you hear that the school bus has had an accident and you are worrying that your children are hurt or even dead.  Or the school has just had a bomb go off and you once again are thinking they are dead.  Stay calm and wait for the results.  You don't know yet if they are hurt or not and most likely they are going to be okay.

We have all kinds of circumstances that make us want to get paranoid.  Even me sometimes, but then I have to be rational and think, well most likely it wouldn't happen.

Another instance would be if you feel you may be in danger, don't get paranoid, but do think things through with a calm mind.

Like for instance, here's an example of something I am wondering about.  For the last week, I have had two nights where I get home to my apt. and I have found that my bedroom door is wide open, when I know I have shut it.  I shut my bedroom door to keep my cats out during the day while I am gone.  I shut it every morning.  My doors and windows are locked.  Here's the thing.  At first I think, yes, I know I shut it.  Then I have to question, Am I 100% sure I shut it?  Then I think, well, maybe I went in and got changed and came out and forgot to shut it.  That's possible.  I double checked and shut it yesterday before arriving to the kids house for my sleep over.  So this time, I know for a fact it's been 100% shut and if I arrive home tonight and find it open, I know for sure someone came into my apt.  My cats have never opened it, there is no way, plus it's been closed all year on them and never once did they open it. 

If you think you could possibly be in danger, you cannot hesitate.  Don't get paranoid but do have a potential plan in place.  Like if you have criminal neighbors above your head, at least you need to be prepared.  True, maybe you do not know them from atom, but suddenly you begin to hear all kinds of fights from them, you know them whether you want to or not and it puts you in potential danger. 

True, most likely nothing would happen, but you do need to be prepared.

Change your voice mail to an automated message as you don't want a bad person to know who you are.  Take precautions.  Don't go banging a broom up there or knocking on their doors.  Make sure you have good blinds or curtains so they can't see inside.  Lock your doors and your windows.  Although that will not keep a person out if they really want to get in.  People like that know how to pick a lock, jimmy them, break a window and so on.

This I didn't know.  You can get a text message in place in your drafts, so that if you feel threatened and someone is coming in to hurt you, all you have to do is press a button and they know what is happening to you and they can come to your address and give you the help you need.

Have things in place, have your phone charged always as you never know when you may need it.

Most likely, you would never need to have to use these precautions, but when you are faced with different situations especially if they could be potentially life threatening, you need to take precautions.

You have to protect your life, your body, your kids, as if something ends up happening to you, your kids are suddenly without a mother/father and that would be a terrible loss.

So yes, don't get paranoid but do make the necessary precautions that could possibly save your life if you ever needed to.

And don't let others make you think you are being really stupid about wanting to take precautions.  They aren't in your situation to realize what could or could not happen. If they were in your boat, they would probably would do the same things to protect themselves.  

So, if you feel like you could be in danger for any reason whatever, just ignore these people who laugh at you and think you are being paranoid.  True, most likely nothing would ever happen, but wouldn't you feel sorry if indeed something did happen to you and you didn't take precautions?  Just saying.

Jennifer Jo Fay

Copyrighted October 28, 2012