Help with social fears

[Kelculator]

I have been overly paranoid about my safety and how people can hurt me in the past year. This is possibly driven by the fact that I have been betrayed by people before, and a man I knew and trusted actually turned out to be a disturbing person.
My anxiety makes me overwhelmed someday, whenever people stare at me I can feel my heart sink, especially when they are males, because of the greater possibility of them hurting me in a... bad way. Sometimes I get too afraid to be close to people just because they might turn out to be dangerous or just not the person they appear to be.
How do I control this fear?

 

[He Man]

I have been overly paranoid about my safety and how people can hurt me in the past year. This is possibly driven by the fact that I have been betrayed by people before, and a man I knew and trusted actually turned out to be a disturbing person.
My anxiety makes me overwhelmed someday, whenever people stare at me I can feel my heart sink, especially when they are males, because of the greater possibility of them hurting me in a... bad way. Sometimes I get too afraid to be close to people..
How do I control this fear?

I think a healthy fear of strangers (particularly unfamiliar men) is actually a good thing. But obviously a paranoia, or chronic mistrust is not.
I think the key is when u find good people, work to keep them/include them in your life. It will help balance/even out your feelings about people/men.
There are some really good, caring people in the world.

 

[triceps]

Hi Kelculator. I really agree with @He Man and the advise he's given you. As a man I know that many of us are really creepy and just plain jerks. I have a 30 year old daughter who I have always worried about getting herself in an unsafe situation as unlike your being overly cautious, she is either naive or too trusting. Like He Man says, the key is to have a healthy fear of your surroundings but not be so afraid that you prevent having a normal social life. I hope you haven't been scarred too much by your very bad experience and can graduate from being paranoid to just being comfortably careful.