The only moment we truly have is the one that’s happening right now. The past is gone, and the future is still ahead of you. Yet, so many people miss what’s going on right around them because they don’t pay the kind of attention that they should. They may be so focused on their thoughts, lost in the past or future, that they just miss what’s going on right in front of them.
That’s where situational awareness comes in. That is, being aware of your surroundings so that you can anticipate and respond to situations as they unfold. And a key part of this awareness comes from being mindful. To be mindful is to be focused and participating in the present moment.
Easier said than done, right? Well, yes. But there are some simple ways that you can improve situational awareness, which will not only better equip you to handle life, but will also help you find more happiness right now.
1. Regularly check out your environment.
Firstly, this is not to be confused with hypervigilance, which isn’t healthy. Instead, it’s about pausing periodically to take in what is happening around you. Who are the people around? What are they doing? Is there anything interesting happening that you’ve missed? Are there any objects or items of interest? By making it a habit to look around, you will exponentially increase your situational awareness.
Don’t let yourself be sucked into your phone or disassociating by zoning out. Our phones are an incredible distraction that will eat up all of our time through doomscrolling or algorithmic manipulation, if we let them.
Not only that, but the distraction can easily cause accidents through inattentional blindness. As this research shows, inattentional blindness happens when our brain is so preoccupied with a task that it ignores other obvious tasks (or dangers), and phones are a major cause of that.
2. Pause for your automatic reactions.
There is a space between an action and a reaction that a lot of people don’t realize exists. Learning to pause in this space before reacting can help us temper emotional reactions that hinder our awareness.
Personally, due to my bipolar depression, anger has been a big part of my adult life. As a negative emotion, anger is useful when it’s at an appropriate time. It can help give you strength and power to do something when you’re wronged.
However, when you go to bed and wake up angry, it’s a whole different story. It poisons everything, including your ability to be present in the moment. I was angry about things that happened in the past, what I didn’t think was going to come in the future, and at what was happening around me.
The problem is that the anger creates a bias. You see everything through rage-colored glasses. It wasn’t that someone made an innocent mistake; it’s that they were trying to mess with me. It wasn’t that I made a mistake and needed to extend myself some patience; it was that I was too stupid to get anything right. It wasn’t that knocking something over I backed into was an accident; it was because why is this stupid thing here, anyway?
One way of healing from that method of thinking and gaining more situational awareness was just pausing. After something would happen, I would start box breathing until I was calm and could respond. Box breathing is four seconds in, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and repeat. It helps regulate your heartbeat by changing how much oxygen is going into your blood, which can help calm you down and keep you present.
3. Practice observation without judgment.
We instinctively want to assign labels when we take in the things around us. If you see a person being rude at a restaurant, it’s reasonable to jump to the conclusion that, “Hey, that’s a rude, angry woman.” However, that’s only a fragment of the total information available. It may not be so easy to tell why she is acting the way she is.
When you assign labels to what’s going on around you, you are automatically slanting your interpretation of the events. Okay, the lady is being rude, but maybe it’s because a waiter accidentally spilled something hot on her. She’s not actually an angry or rude person; she’s just reacting to a situation in a bad way. And if you’d labeled her as just “a rude and angry person,” you might respond in kind or avoid her entirely—when maybe she actually needs help or compassion.
Unless you’re a judge, you don’t need to pass judgment. Just observe. “That woman is currently yelling at that person for some reason.” That way, you can respond in a way that actually fits what’s happening.
4. Always question your first assumption.
I remember a nugget of wisdom I picked up somewhere along the road of life that went something like, “The first thing you think or feel comes from conditioning. After that, you can choose what to do with it.”
Everyone makes snap judgments. It’s just the way people are wired. That’s why we have concepts like “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” because your initial assumptions can be off.
Always question your first assumption. You don’t want to assume that you are interpreting the situation around you correctly until you can confirm it. Because if you act on a bad assumption, you can really mess things up. Or, as they say, “you make an ass out of u and me.”
5. Reduce the distractions and busyness of your environment.
Clutter causes anxiety because your subconscious needs to process it constantly. You may not realize it’s happening, particularly if you’re someone who just doesn’t see clutter. But, even if you aren’t consciously acknowledging it, your subconscious is. It’s taking notes, looking for threats, trying to make sure that no unwelcome surprises are coming.
That, in turn, can be so exhausting because your brain is constantly processing so much stuff. Since it’s processing so much stuff, that makes it harder to be fully aware of the environment and situation you’re in. It’s overwhelming, like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
You can easily miss situational details when you’re overwhelmed in this way. And when you miss those details, you can’t respond effectively. You might overlook something important or react too slowly because your mental bandwidth is maxed out.
Of course, it’s not going to be possible to reduce clutter and busyness in environments you have no control over, but where you can, it’s worth doing.
6. Take note of the emotional vibe in the area.
Awareness of the current vibe can be an easy indicator that something is amiss. For example, let’s say you’re at a party and everyone is having a good time. But then, the energy changes as people have stopped talking and all seem to be looking in the same direction. Two guys have started arguing with one another, and now no one is quite sure what is going to come from that. It’s times like that where it’s best to pack up and leave, because who knows how far it’ll escalate.
Every area has a vibe to it. Most of the time, the vibe will be peaceful and quiet, because there isn’t much going on. But if you notice something feels amiss, it’s good to take note and respond accordingly. Your subconscious may sense danger or pick up on something before you do. Listen to your intuition, and your intuition will get stronger.
7. Take the time to reflect on situations after they happen.
A big part of situational awareness is pattern recognition. Take the time to reflect on situations that you’ve recently been in, good and bad. How did the situation feel? What was the vibe like? What were the indicators of activity that were happening? Was there an argument? Was everyone hanging out and happy? What were the moods and attitudes of the people you were around?
What about the conditions of the area? For example, let’s say you are driving, lose control, and have an accident. What were the conditions? Were the roads wet? Were you paying attention to the road? Is your car properly maintained with good tires? What caused the accident? What indicators can you find that may help you avoid future accidents or dangerous situations?
The more you do this, the easier the patterns get to spot in future situations.
8. Stay curious!
The easiest way to enhance your situational awareness is to stay curious about the people and world around you. Ask questions and embrace wonder rather than staring at your cellphone and scrolling. Curiosity keeps you engaged with what’s actually happening, which means you’ll be better equipped to handle whatever comes your way. Curiosity will not only improve your situational awareness, but it’s good for your brain, too. Regular learning is helpful for cognitive development. It’s like going to a gym and exercising your brain.
Let curiosity guide you, and there’s no telling where you may end up! And hopefully, you’ll be fully aware of the situation when you get there, too.
In closing…
Situational awareness is a valuable skill to develop. There’s a lot that happens around us that is so easy to miss, especially if you aren’t paying attention. A little bit of situational awareness goes a long way to keeping yourself safe, happy, and healthy. It helps you notice the small things that help make up everything beautiful that is life. And it means you’re more likely to spot the not-so-beautiful things before they unfold.
Let yourself slow down. Our society demands frantic energy and activity all the time, but it’s just not a necessary or healthy way to live.
