What to Do If You Think You're Being Followed
That feeling that someone is following you is worth taking seriously. Here's what to do in the moment and how to tell the difference between awareness and anxiety.
Take the Feeling Seriously
The uncomfortable, nagging feeling that someone is following you is worth taking seriously. Your brain processes vast amounts of environmental information before it surfaces anything into conscious awareness, which means that the feeling something is wrong often precedes the conscious ability to articulate exactly why. Dismissing this as paranoia before you have tested it is the wrong response.
That said, the aim is to be appropriately alert rather than chronically anxious. The steps below help you assess whether your concern is well-founded and respond effectively if it is.
In the Moment: What to Do
If you think someone may be following you, the first step is to confirm whether your concern is accurate without alerting the person or escalating the situation. The simplest way to do this is to change your route in an obvious way. Turn and walk in a different direction. Cross the road. If the person changes direction to match yours, particularly if they do so again after a second change, that is meaningful information.
Do not go home. If you are being followed and you lead someone to your front door, you have given them your home address. This is important for everyone and particularly critical for people who live alone.
Move toward people. Busy streets, shops, pubs, restaurants, and any place with staff or a crowd reduce your vulnerability significantly. A following person is less likely to approach in a busy environment and more likely to abandon the situation. If you feel safe enough to enter a shop, do so and let staff know what is happening.
Call someone. Calling a friend, family member, or in a serious situation the police, has multiple benefits: you have company on the phone, you have shared your location, and it signals to anyone watching that you are in communication with others. If you need to call 999, do so. Police take reports of being followed seriously, particularly in light of stalking legislation that has strengthened in recent years.
If you have personal safety technology (a safety app, location sharing with a trusted contact), activate it now. Several free apps allow you to share your live location with someone and send an alert if you do not check in.
If You Are Approached
If someone following you approaches you, your priority is to create distance and get to people. You do not need to be polite. You do not need to engage in conversation. "I'm going to the police station" or "I'm calling the police" said loudly and clearly is a reasonable response. Moving toward a populated area and making noise if necessary are appropriate.
If you are grabbed or held, making noise (shouting "Help", "Fire", or similar) attracts attention and assistance. The goal is to make yourself a difficult, visible target. Fighting back may or may not be appropriate depending on the specific situation: the priority is to get away, not to win a physical confrontation.
Distinguishing Awareness from Anxiety
For some people, anxiety can make the world feel more threatening than it is. If you find yourself frequently feeling followed or watched in situations where there is no specific behaviour to support that concern, and particularly if this causes significant distress or restriction to your daily life, speaking to a GP or mental health professional is appropriate.
The practical test described above (changing direction and observing whether the person mirrors your change) is useful precisely because it provides actual evidence rather than leaving you in a cycle of worry and doubt. If the person does not follow your change in direction, that is reassuring information. If they do, you have something concrete to act on.
When Following Becomes Stalking
If you are being repeatedly followed by the same person, or if someone is persistently contacting you, showing up at places you frequent, or monitoring your movements in ways that cause fear or distress, that meets the legal definition of stalking in England and Wales. Stalking is a criminal offence under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and can result in prosecution and restraining orders.
Report stalking to the police. Keep a detailed log: dates, times, locations, what happened, and any witnesses. Save any messages, voicemails, or evidence of contact. If the police are not responding adequately, the National Stalking Helpline (0808 802 0300) can advise on options and escalation. Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service, can help you navigate the legal and support system.
Stalking is persistently underestimated in its seriousness. It is not flattering attention gone slightly too far. It is a pattern of behaviour that causes significant harm and frequently escalates. Taking it seriously early, including involving police early, is consistently better than waiting to see if it stops on its own.