Thursday Thoughts - Harassment Experiences and Suggestions on Ways to Reduce Them - Targeted Individuals

Targeted individuals all have their own situation and challenges to cope with. 

For example, some targeted victims still have jobs. A lot don't. Some targeted victims have been targeted for a small amount of time, some 20 years +. Some targeted individuals are single women, some retired men. There are undoubtedly many other differences that set us aside too.

However, one thing which all targeted individuals have in common is that they are all in the same situation together. When targeted victims first discover that there are many other individuals also facing the same problem worldwide this can be a form of relief for the victim as they realise they are not facing this alone.

For those who regularly follow this site and our X account @TheEverydayBrit, you will be already be familiar with the primary purpose of this site which is to gather research data on the personal experiences and feelings of people who identify as targeted individuals around the world. 

Our main focus is mainly in relation to what we have called 'harassment experiences'. We regularly use the hashtag #HarassmentExperiences when we write posts or run X Polls about these experiences.

We've already run lots of X Polls which have focussed solely on harassment experiences and we intend to run still a lot more. However, one thing which has come back from all of the X polls we have run is how targeted individuals experience the same harassment behaviours around the world. From noise campaigns to mail tampering, from street theatre to harassment whilst driving, TI's report on the same harassment experiences regardless of where they are located.

So, for today's Thursday Thoughts post, we want to focus on these harassment experiences. As a suggestion, perhaps sit down with a cup of coffee and a notepad and pen and write down your own harassment experiences and then brainstorm ways you can reduce or cut down on each of these experiences. 

Targeted individuals often feel powerless, but one thing you do have some control over, in fact quite a bit of control in some or many cases, is how you can potentially improve things and potentially make things better in relation to your own experiences. 

We've drawn up a mini-list below of 8 things you could consider which may or may not be of help to get you started:-

1. Invest in some privacy film for windows if you have a window which you need making completely private.

2. Invest in a good set of noise-cancelling headphones to reduce or eliminate noise campaigns. Listen to things you enjoy - in my case, 1980's pop music 👍

3. Consider working from home more if you have a job and you are allowed to work from home.

4. Spend more time in rooms which offer more privacy and comfort.

5. Invest in basic security for your front door and any other doors and windows as you see fit. Basic door bolts and / or window bolts are a very common, very cheap and a very popular option.

6. Consider whether you want to improve the internal privacy of your bedroom by investing in a canopy bed, or bed tent.

7. If you have a garden, invest in some better privacy features such as better fencing, better hedging or better screening.

8. Invest in some good quality blackout curtains for your windows where light campaigns are an issue. Good quality blackout curtains can also help to cut down on draughts through your windows. So, they are a win-win.

There are many other things that could potentially help. Don't worry if you can't afford to do everything at once. That doesn't matter. Just do one thing at a time. And as you do one thing, then move on to the next thing. As you start to build more of these changes together, they will hopefully make more of a positive difference. Perhaps, as a suggestion, start off with the cheapest items first - these tend to be the easiest and quickest wins! The privacy film for glass windows I have personally found to be transformational.

You can find links to a lot of the items, such as the privacy film for windows, in our Useful Resources List.

Please do feel free to leave a comment below when you have successfully tried something that has worked for you 💗

#ThursdayThoughts #XPOLL #Results #HarassmentExperiences #TargetedIndividuals