Hi everyone,
I was victim of a mugging attempt 2 weeks ago,
[TW: Here is what happened]
I was walking to join some friends at a bar, and while walking, 2 people I was passing by turn to me, the biggest of then said "Who were you lookin' at?" (I was behind them lol), that immediately followed by "empty your pockets" (I later learned that muggers usually have some approaches like this, or asking for the time, and that it's in order to get the person to stop walking).
He grabbed my shirt, my first reaction was to say "no" and I pulled back. I don't know how I managed to break away but I did, another one had his hands in my pockets but they only took airbuds. I screamed help and started to run away, one of them kicked my knee behind me but it didn't make me fall and I could run up the stairs up to a public park and they didn't follow me, they just screamed "Ya that's it! Get out!"
I kept walking and I ended up meeting them again in another street like 2 minutes after. They wanted me to follow them to another street, of course i said no. My tactic now was to speak very loud (it was a crowded street, lots of people having a drink) "I don't know you. Please leave me alone". It worked because after a while some people came up and told them that it wasn't worth it, calmed them down.
One of the mugglers then came up to my face, told me he could punch me in the face if he wanted to. I don't know how I managed to keep some calm (bc I was panicked), but I stayed in front of him and said "No I don't want you to punch me in the face, I don't know you and I haven't done anything to do. Please leave me alone". Finally the biggest of them told his friend that it wasn't worth it and they somehow finally leaved me alone.
I can say that in some way I was lucky in my unluckiness because I managed to get my way out without getting hit (except the failed attempt at tripping me down from behind but no pain or injuries at all) and any valuable stolen from me (only $10 worth airbuds, but my phone and wallet are still with me).
The thing is that I cannot help but overthinking since it happened. I can't convince my brain that it is over now. It's the first time it happens to me. I can"t help but fear that they are still after me.
My mind is like "Maybe they noticed who you are now, and they are probably quite unhappy that you got away from the harm they wanted to do to you. What can prove you that they don't plan a "revenge" with more than 2 attackers this time..".
In consequence of it, I now regularly change my way to go to work, and of course I don't go out unless absolutely necessary (work, grocery store and that's all!). My concentration at work has been decreasing, I sleep less. The only way I can give my mind some rest for a few moment is to drink some beers while alone at home
A part of me wants to say "Wow it was a bad event, lucky it didn't get worse! That's now an interesting past story to share with friends", but I just don't manage to. I've always been an anxious person all my life. The way my mind evaluates risk is not through actual likeliness or probability that it happens, but by saying "Is there an irrefutable proof that {worst_scenario_ever} won't happen?" -No? Then it's real and very probably imminent
Does anyone here who have been victim of something similar had the same fear-mongering thoughs? And how long do they usually last? Are my fears of another imminent bigger attack being planned after getting my way out of a muggling somehow justified? (I live in a mid sized city, about 200k-300k people)
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from Mental Health https://ift.tt/2KzdqyA
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