It starts with a comment, a stare that lingers, someone falling into step behind you. In a few seconds public space tilts and you are no longer quite free to move as you please. The worst part is often the freeze: that suspended moment where you do not know whether to answer, speed up, or act as if nothing were happening.
Know first that there is no right reaction, and above all no reaction you owe anyone. Your safety comes before any principle, before the urge to put the person in their place, before the fear of "making a scene". You adapt, you improvise, and that is exactly as it should be.
In the moment, what genuinely helps is breaking the isolation the harasser is counting on. Get somewhere with people, step into a shop, speak to someone, even a stranger. A harasser is looking for a target on their own; they hate witnesses. You do not need to explain or justify yourself to anybody, you just need not to be alone.
You are also under no obligation to reply, or to smile to defuse things. Ignoring and walking on with purpose is a perfectly valid response, often the safest. And if you can, hold on to a place, a time, a description: useful if you decide to report it, with no obligation whatsoever to do so.
Finally, lean on the anchor points around you. SHARIXY partner venues train their staff to receive someone who feels followed or threatened. Pushing that door open and saying "I do not feel safe" is a right, never an imposition. And remember, even if it is hard to hear in the moment: the only person responsible for this situation is the one doing the harassing. Never you, nor what you were wearing, nor the hour, nor your route.