While the summer holidays are approaching, the risk of burglary remains a major source of concern for many French people. D “After the investigation of the Flashs Institute carried out on behalf of Depanneo, many of them redoubled ingenuity to try to master their feeling of insecurity. But what does this fear of the French say and above all, how to control it? Amélie Boukhobza, clinical psychologist, answers us.
78% of French people fear burglary during their holidays
The fear of burglary is so frequent during the holidays that it even leads some French people to give up at the start.
- Almost 8 out of 10 French people (78 %) think of the risk of burglary “Before an extended departure “, of which 24% are strongly anxious by this possibility;
- 23 % of those questioned “have already given up or shortened their vacation because of this fear“;
- This proportion rises to 48 % “among victims of past burglaries. “
A behavior which speaks volumes about the report of the French in the burglary.
“Faced with a feeling of insecurity, the French compete in ingenuity, between home automation technologies, false cameras or dissuasive panels, illustrating a deep need to regain control over their environment. Confidence in neighbors remains measured, a sign of a sometimes distended social bond, even within the immediate neighborhood”, Reveals Léa Paolacci, Flash Studies.
We also observe a very individualized security management, “often made up of makeshift solutions and relational benchmarks. Society appears both attentive to the risks and marked by inequalities in the face of the means of protecting itself. Security, in this context, is mainly based on the personal initiative. “
Faced with this threat, the French redoubled in imagination to dissuade the intruders. “Domotic dog, false cameras … there is no shortage of” Dog dog …
However, these subterfuges are not enough to reassure the French who left on vacation. How to silence these anxieties, and really enjoy these leave? Amélie Boukhobza, clinical psychologist, drives us.
The right reflex? Never let yourself be overwhelmed by fear
This fear of burglary during the holidays, or more broadly during an absence, is very common. But beyond the simple risk, it especially reveals a deep need for control.
“And this is precisely where it gets stuck. Because the holidays should be a moment of relaxation, of relaxation. But the brain does not pick up so easily. It anticipates, it scripts, it imagines the worst … To warn. In case. As a form of magic thought: if I remain hypervigilant, nothing will happen. Except that this reflex is not working … Note Amélie Boukhobza.
So what to do?
It is not a question of denying fear, but not to leave it all the space.“For this, I advise to distinguish the rational concern of the obsession: putting an alarm is a rational gesture. Taking the scene of the burglary ten times, no”, underlines the expert.
Redirect attention is also essential.
“When the thought arises, it is necessary to recognize it (” yes, I’m afraid “), then you have to come back to the present moment. Anchoring yourself in what you see, hear, feel there, now. And above all, in what you have taken on”, she recommends. “”Finally, remember that zero risk does not exist: checking fifteen times your alarm or your entrance hall does not change this reality. Accepting a share of uncertainty is difficult – but that’s also, calming down “, concludes Amélie Boukhobza.