"Who's Watching You?"
I thought of writing this article about a month ago when I became addicted to the show Stalker on CBS. Between the thrill of the cases shown within each episode (especially the A-story for all of my fellow writers) and my personal accounts of seeing stalking first hand. I was hooked. It's something about knowing how to handle a situation that makes me feel more comfortable and less defeated. In the midst of being afraid, I know that the mind has the tendency to go blank. However, the make up of a human also knows how to transition into survival mode. And here's my point and rendition of Stalkers Anonymous.
How do you know, if it is in fact a Stalker you are dealing with? The definition states that a Stalker is a person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention. There are three types of Stalkers: Simple Obsession, Love Obsession and other. Mostly all of the candidates categorized in these three groups suffer from some type of emotional or mental problem.
Aside from the facts of what type of Stalker you are dealing with, what baffles me the most about actually being stalked, is how to survive? Almost every episode a victim(s) is saved by the skin of their teeth. The happy ending we all would want in the case of being stalked, but the end result is not always so pretty. After doing some research on how to survive a Stalker, I found that victims have two choices. Allow themselves to fall and remain victim or take action. Because Stalkers are very unpredictable, you shouldn't think that they have just found a new interest in the event you don't hear from them or see them. Don't ever feel ashamed to tell your closest family members, even co-workers. What your Stalker looks like and what they are capable of. You never know how a heads up or sighting could possibly save your life. The most important piece of advice is planning ahead. Have you ever seen Enough with Jennifer Lopez? Watch it! Her plan to survive the stalking and attacks from her husband went from fragile to undeniably concrete.
Have a bag packed with money, IDs and whatever else you need to make a getaway to an undisclosed location. Have a safety plan in action and always prepare for the worse.
Stalkers are real. The threat on your life is real. Keep your eyes open because you never know when these tips will be the key to your survival.
