Most people see having your guard up in a negative way. Specifically, when you see how it is portrayed in romantic comedies. The main characters are normally someone who has had their guard up their entire life and end up shutting people out. By the end of the movie, they meet someone that breaks their walls down and ultimately convinces them to lower guard.
Constantly having your guard up may enable you to shut out people which hinders the formation of relationships with others and can seclude you from the rest of society. However, having your guard up around others can also be positive in certain situations. In most cases having your guard up is beneficial because you are not always award of the intentions of others. Ellen Brennan a senior education student said, “You can’t always trust people and you don’t know if everyone’s intentions are honorable, so keeping your guard up keeps you from getting hurt.” This is one of the main reasons why people want to have their guard up in the first place. They don’t want to get hurt.
If you have just gotten out of a serious relationship where your significant other cheated and lied to you, the odds of you having your guard up when dating after that are pretty high. It’s a good idea to have your guard up because you never know who you can trust. Cristina Rauco, a senior creative writing student said, “It’s always better that you protect yourself before considering letting anyone else in.” Which is another reason why it is good to have your guard up, people are unpredictable.
When you don’t know a person well enough, it’s natural that you’re going to have your guard up. You will not want to share too much information about yourself because you are unsure of what they will do with your personal information. Social media continues to exemplify that when people neglect to have their guard their character becomes tainted by the information they share online. Tom McCarthy, Assistant Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said “Many people put a lot of information on social media without giving it much thought. Now, the information you’re giving out is public and not every person on social media has the best intentions in mind. So it is prudent to have your guard up and share with those you really trust.”
Since Catfishing has become a problem online where people are sharing information and growing close to others they have met online that take on a false identity. Catfish, the MTV television series depicts people’s personal experiences with online deception. It is becoming more difficult to trust others with everything that is being done online. Therefore, it is vital to have your guard up when using social media. “Trust is earned and a lot of times people give their trust blindly and it ends up backfiring or hurting them. Trust is really a process; it takes time to earn or to give,” said McCarthy.
You should always think before you act and keep your guard up to protect yourself from being taken advantage of. You should always protect yourself by keeping your guard up. However, it is also important to not seclude yourself from the world. In every relationship it is important to take it slow and build trust within your relationship.
