And you might also consider taking a self-defense course this is really a bad idea. After 20 years of hard-core martial arts, I would still either run or let things happen. You will never be faster than a bullet, or resistant to knife hit.

@Themoonisacheese taking a self-defense course can be horribly misleading. We had an experience where our teacher arranged for one of us to be attacked in the street by a friend of his - we were watching. The guy who was attacked was a fantastic fighter (we were some 15 years in training by then). It took him a minute to get together and fight back. After a self-defense course, at best, you can have hope to do the right thing when you are attacked and then run like crazy. Only Statham in the movies looks good, in reality this is really scary and fast. Do not attempt if you can avoid.

@Themoonisacheese and for reference, the guy attacked above was of the kind when you had a sparring with him, you would feel it for a few days (with gloves and protections). In a dojo he would have ripped his heart out after spreading his teeth around. It is just that a dojo is not the street - there are no knives, guns, and you are ready for a fight. Really, really - trying to fight when you can avoid is a very bad decision. Better an extra call and frowning from the police than being dead.

@Themoonisacheese it very much is. Self defense courses in hopes to fight a burglar is not a good idea.

@WoJ nobody (but you) is talking about fighting a burglar. And 10 additional stories about martial arts won't change that. If you read OPs question you quickly notice that an actual, real physical burglar is not their problem. The fear (and uncertainty) is.

@Hobbamok I am addressing the answer's recommendation to take self-defence courses. They are counter-productive and dangerous for OP's problem. What can they bring besides a false sense of security (ability to defend yourself)? Someone mentioned "self assurance" -- this is not the kind of self assurance you need. This recommendaton is simply dangerous.

@Themoonisacheese have you had self-defense courses? Because I taught them. And the last thing you get from them is the kind of self-assurance you needed with a possible burglar. You learn how when attacked to defend yourself and run. You do not learn how to assess a risk outside of "in the situation I am now, attacked, should I try to defend myself or not".

@WoJ " for OP's problem" only if the self defence courses do delude OP. If you taught them, why didn't you make sure yours didn't? That being said: no it does not. OP's problem is - as my last comment literally said - not an actual, physical burglar. Their problem is a so constant state of fear that they are afraid the police will act because too frequent false alarms. This is in no way correlated to actual statistical chances of real burglars.

@WoJ "You do not learn how to assess a risk outside of "in the situation I am now, attacked, should I try to defend myself or not"." I'd recommend you work on your course material then. And yes OP, don't go to one of WoJ's courses.

@Hobbamok yes, i agree. And what self-defense has to do with that? Better assessment whether a noise is a burglar or simply a cat or imagination? They will certainly not help in that.

@Hobbamok if you are teaching these you are probably more qualified than I am - I stopped eons ago. But in that case speak up about how these courses will help, specifically.

@WoJ your problem is that you are - despite several repetitions - completely and aggressively ignoring reality. The problem is not a physical, real burglar (or even the absence thereof). The issue is the fear of a burglar. Fear that is similarly not dependent on the presence or lack thereof of a burglar or even noises. "Better assessment whether a noise is a burglar or simply a cat or imagination?"

how does exposure to spiders help with arachnophobia? A quick google search tells you that none in Germany are poisonous. According to you, there are no Germans with arachnophobia (or none that also can use the internet, so like 8 senior citizens I guess). But turns out arachnophobia is still a thing. Despite the certain knowledge that the spider in front of you is harmless. It's almost as if the problem is not sourced from cold-hard facts but emotions.