We are at the age of freedom. We have a newfound independence, but many of us haven’t been exposed to the dangers of the world, at least not alone.

Naive. That’s the best word to describe what we are at this point in our lives. We can’t imagine that people would do the things they do. We’ve been shielded, we’ve been sheltered. We don’t realize how careful we have to be in this cruel world.

Mollie Tibbetts was going on a run near her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa on July 18 when she went missing for over a month. She was found dead in a cornfield on August 21. Tibbetts didn’t go for a run expecting to be abducted, but in this day and age, you always need to be careful. There are always dangers, but with every danger, there is a way to be prepared. This is not to say that every person’s intentions are bad because there are still plenty of good people out there. However, you never know if a person is good or bad, if they are there to help you or harm you.

Even still, there are many ways to protect yourself. The easiest way is to avoid going somewhere alone. It’s much more difficult for a predator to attack two or more people rather than just one. What’s the one thing you have with you at all times? Your phone. Make it useful in dangerous situations with a personal safety app. There are a variety of different personal safety apps with numerous features to fit what kind of help you want to have on hand. Watch Over Me is one of the most effective of these apps. In dangerous situations, you don’t have time to open an app and call for help, so with Watch Over Me all you have to do is shake your phone to activate the app, even if your phone is locked. Shaking will turn on your alarm and video camera and send an alert to emergency contacts. Just turn on the app before you go out, and you have help with the shake of a hand. For some, this may seem a little excessive, but it’s better to be prepared than helpless in a bad situation because they can rarely be anticipated. You’re going to have your phone with you anyway, so what’s the harm in having a backup to help out?

We can all learn a lesson from Mollie Tibbetts’ story. Don’t let paranoia spoil a nice time out with friends or a relaxing shopping trip, but also don’t let your guard down completely. Even if you don’t think anything will happen while you’re out, it’s better to be safe than sorry.