(Read More) Situational Awareness – Safety Tips

“SITUATIONAL AWARENESS is. . .

“the ability to identify, process, and understand what is happening around you, while thinking ahead to prevent or mitigate potential safety incidents. It requires you to stay alert and draw upon your unique set of experiences and skills to evaluate your environment. Successful situational awareness requires a proactive and flexible mindset, which can be achieved through regular practice.” (arrowheadtribal.com)

Electronic Distractions

Whether it’s staring down at your phone or listening to music, using electronic devices can seriously impair your ability to be aware of what is going on around you.

Only use your devices after you’ve determined you are in an area or situation where it is safe to do so. Look up occasionally to re-scan your surroundings and make note of any changes. If you’re using headphones, consider using only one, or keeping the volume as low as possible in order to still be able to hear what is going on around you.

Peripheral Vision

Attempt to focus on something while also observing what’s happening at the edges of your vision. This widens your monitoring range for detecting anything out of the ordinary.

Scan

Most people automatically scan new situations or environments, but don’t always focus on the most useful information. Practice looking for exits, barriers, suspicious objects and people, and any other unique elements that could be of importance to your personal safety.

Additionally, be sure not to get complacent in familiar environments, such as your workplace or a regularly frequented lunch spot. Just because it is safe one day does not mean it will be safe every day.

Stop and Pretend

If you feel like you are being followed, either on foot or in a vehicle, stop and turn around, pretending as if you went the wrong way. The reaction of the person following you will help you determine if they are indeed a threat: If they stop or reroute to mirror your actions, then you can confirm that they are following you intentionally.

Become a Hard Target

Those with malicious intent generally single out individuals that seem meek, vulnerable, or unaware of their surroundings. Body language plays an extremely important role in how you are perceived by others. Exuding an aura of confidence, awareness, and capability, regardless of how you actually feel, can help broadcast to any threats that you are an undesirable target, and increase your personal safety.

Personal Space

If someone is crowding you, seems suspicious, or is displaying threatening body language, scan them for subtle signs of violent intent or a hidden weapon. Increase the distance between yourself and this person – the amount of distance depends on the situation, but five or six feet can allow you some reaction time if they become an active threat.

Intuition

Trust your gut. If you get the sense that something is wrong or doesn’t add up, do not ignore it. Your instincts exist to protect you – it is always better to be overcautious than to ignore warning signs that turned out to be legitimate.

Senses

Practice engaging all your senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste) to their fullest extent to increase your personal safety. Regularly exercising your senses can make them keener, which can help you avoid unsafe situations, determine threats faster, and pick up on critical information more quickly during emergencies.