How to improve situational awareness

Be aware of your surroundings.

You might have heard this phrase, maybe on social media, news, or as a warning of the threats that may happen to you. And this saying holds a direct relation with a broader concept called situational awareness.

Situational awareness is about reading the situation, comprehending all elements of space, time, activities, relations to other people and objects, and giving predictions.

The concept itself is not only used for personal or public safety purposes but also for the efficiency and effectiveness of decision-making in the work frames of business, military, and governments. So, the question is: How to develop it?

Following are the suggestions mapped on how to improve your situational awareness.

1. Keep your mind conscious of your OWN circumstances.

There are stories (also called “dramas”) told everywhere, and some get too attracted to them that they become ignorant of their surroundings.
What is the point in knowing others’ stories just out of amusement and curiosity while knowing nothing about yours? Listening to others’ stories may deliver lessons, however, indirectly.
You gain no chance to practice observing for situational awareness, at all. Hence, recollect your mind, and focus more on YOUR life storyline, YOUR situation.

2. Limit distractions.

Wherever you are heading to, whatever you are doing, whoever you are with, focus on ONE intention only. Once the distractors are in, your brain will not be able to proceed as quickly and precisely as usual. Plus, your senses will be overloaded, which leads to slower reflexes, which can be dangerous in hazard-prone areas.

For instance, when walking on the streets, you had better pay attention to the factors available there, not to the songs playing on your phone or pages of your book.

3. Practice situational awareness with the S.E.A.L. Loop method.

Chris Sajnog, a retired Navy S.E.AL and the founder of the S.E.A.L. training system, has pointed out that this method is the most suitable one to take up if you want to enhance awareness skills.
S.E.A.L. Loop stands for:

Sense:
Not only your eyes but all senses are put into use to detect conditions existing around you, including your instincts.
Evaluate:
Based on what you sense beforehand, you firmly decide what should and should not be carried out.
Act:
Now that you have enough evaluation, it is time to take precise action.
Learn:
By learning about experiences of right and wrong in the past, you make the practice loop itself: keep looking back for lessons to better future decisions.

4. Meditate:

This method may surprise some people, but it actually helps.
Meditation sessions give you time to clear out all the clutter of thoughts, filter trains of information received every day, reframe yourself, and accumulate those powers and abilities inside.
One benefit that stands out is that meditation assists in increasing the concentration zone, which is essential in situational awareness.

5. Use your imagination

Try drawing out in your head a few realistic possibilities that might happen. Be not subjective, assess the details from all angles, and project anything that may come up. Accordingly, you have the most comprehensive evaluations depending on each affair.

That way, you can navigate the best solution for the worst scenario. This is basically how risk management works.

Practice takes time.
Hard work will pay off.
It is impossible to master any skills overnight. Thus, maintain your patience and keep paving your path for the sake of your well-being. The efforts you have

and will put in for situational awareness skills are going to level up your safety in daily life, even promotions in your career.