Hello Cody, you did the right thing in reaching out.
Living alone is always an intimidating prospect when you're first starting off, but it is just another part of achieving independence, and you had to come to face it sometime, but you do have options for building up your sense of security.
Make friends with your neighbors, go for walks in your area, be a common sight in your area. Being an unknown face makes getting help in an emergency that much harder, because how often will people really open their door for a random stranger banging and yelling?
There are things around the house you can do to boost your sense of safety; check all possible entrances and exits, get to know your home from front to back, reinforce locks and clear areas for reasonable movement in case of an emergency. This is going to sound contradictory, but then you need to make your home feel more like home; fill your space with comforting things, things that ease your mind and soothe your nerves. Buy some scents to burn, get some epsom salts to make bathing more relaxing, play soothing music, draw the drapes and dance half-dressed; make yourself more comfortable in your space. Make it home.
If you absolutely must make your home into a fortress, then invest in redundant door security; a heavy, solid-core door, door stops, sturdy deadbolts, top-mounted door stops. Clearly post emergency numbers and program them into speed-dial on your phone(s), get a sturdy walking stick as a home-defense bludgeon. There are a wide variety of security measures for the comfortably-paranoid. (:
When it comes down to it, your main concern is your fear. Don't be afraid to live your life and to live it comfortably. A life held hostage by one fear after another is no way to live, and only serves as a poison that leeches the happiness from your life.
Please keep in contact and let us know how things are going in your life. Always remember that you matter, and you are not alone.
