Safety In the Dark: Recalibrating My Nervous System

Anjali walking at night, a hazy photo like an impressionist painting.

*Trigger warning, assault, stalking, domestic violence, and rape are briefly mentioned in this piece.

Today I walked home alone in the dark, and I felt fine. In a small town of 7,500 people on the North Island of New Zealand, I walked in the dark for more than a mile.

I did not brace, prepared for every dark opening, alley, or driveway behind a…