Situational awareness

Dr. Pratibha Lalotra
Navigating life with a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter of mine and unconsciously decoding her this phenomenon of “situational awareness” around the clock, I barely considered and understood this term, until one day I sat down and applied it to my own orbit, and yes, it did prove to be a penny-drop moment for me. That’s why they say, “Being a mother is no less than a miracle.” Being parents, we are so anxious about the fact that our children must be completely aware of what is happening around them, to safeguard them and make them more aware and responsive to distinct circumstances. As children, we were also taught the same thing in the form of good manners and being courteous, so when a child greets a teacher or helps his/her teacher carry a book, it reflects that the child is aware of the situation in which the teacher may require some assistance, or when watches around a drain/trench and does not trip inside, that implies the child has mastered the art of situational awareness. In an incident in 2017, several delegates raised questions about the notion of situational awareness at a leadership conference in Europe.
The dilemma relates to what it actually is and what importance it is to nursing science, research, education, and practice in general. But what does it mean on an individual level? Situational refers to immediate or contextual surroundings, and awareness means discerning apprehension; thus, it can be described as the discerning apprehension of immediate surroundings. Situational awareness is a phenomenon that refers to an enlightening/awakening marked by the explicit-tacit recognition of what is happening in the present moment in a specific circumstance. The now-moment is all there is; it is the ongoing changing present with evolving circumstances and refers to coming to terms to know the details of a situation revolving around you. Coming back to the main point, how many of us have actually sat down and examined what is going on in our orbit? Be it good/ bad, failure/success, births/deaths, healthy/toxic relationships, and so on… and how do we need to get out of that situation, or how do we channel our energies in a way that allows us to make the best of everything? Before that, a gentle reminder: “Do we even want to come out of that situation or be in that hell forever?” That is where we need to make an awakening inside us to make our lives better by escaping that grief, grabbing those unseen opportunities, and moving on.
A conscious choice to grow oneself is important because growth is all about conscious choice, not just in the orbit of career but from other perspectives as well, be it as a daughter, as a mother, as a sister, or as a human being. What has happened in the past is not as important as what lies ahead. We may have had certain conditionings from the past that landed us in a particular situation, but we as humans have tremendous potential to unconditionally and recondition ourselves to develop new traits as better organisms. The courage it took to leave a grief, friendship, place, or relationship that was not good for you, use that courage, strength, and faith to channel it into a better future. Close your eyes, say the prayer, cultivate the power, and practice it, because when you are transforming your state or mindset, constantly practice it, initially, it may not feel natural, but the more you practice it, the easier it becomes, and gradually becomes fairly organic. That’s probably why the front glass of the car is way bigger than the rear-view mirror. No matter what your situation seems to be like, no matter how ugly the past has been, no matter how many failures you have had, and no matter how deeply you have grieved the loss of a loved one’s date, the real test is how gracefully you rescue yourself, respect yourself, maintain your sanity, and relish the relationships that matter to you the most. Aim to master how to become the most productive person you know. Pull yourself away from ruinous or impulsive behavior, micromanaging everything, and watch Netflix in frustration. Just breathe and count 1-2-3-4-5 to assert control so that you can navigate your energies away from those people/situations. Do not simply walk away from them; rather, RUN away.
Because you deserve to be loved, honored, valued, and not to be on guard. Rather, learn the secret to improving your health, soul, and productivity. Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones and all of this love-pouring can happen if you have love within yourself. You cannot give someone something if your glass is empty already. So, love yourself, take good care of yourself, dress nicely, wear that confidence, walk away from that gossiping group, and most importantly, secure your integrity. I’ve recently discovered that being constantly aware of what’s going on around you helps set those boundaries and make your orbit a safer place to live. Stop being so understanding that you overlook the word “unacceptance.” We, as human beings, should always strive for the life of our dreams. If not exactly that, then something at least at par with that. Make decisions with confidence that bring in money, health, and true relationships.
We all must know that, at no point in our lives, something is impossible. And every night before going to bed, analyze, introspect, and if you are handling your situations better than your old self would, celebrate that. Celebrate life every day, work on yourself, and grow through what you go through. If you have failed an exam, try, try, and try again; if not this plan, there must be some other lane waiting for you; if you have met a scary accident, thank God that you are still alive and breathing; if you are not getting married, think of those roaming around in the courts for divorces; if you don’t have a child, go ahead, there are so many creatures whose only desire is acceptance. If you are in a toxic relationship, get out and don’t look back; your life isn’t there anymore. If your parents are still alive, be grateful. If you have a good sibling bond, cherish it.
Remind yourself that while you are totally replaceable at work, you are not replaceable at home. Home is your real life. Keep that perspective. Stop being a victim of situations or failures, no matter how much they hurt you, look at them with the utmost compassion, learn from them, and start saying thank you for coming and teaching you the lesson, although a lesson that you would never wish to experience again but thank you because you are going to carry that lesson forever with you, Always. Dear friends no matter what your situation is, simply being awakened and breaking the ice can do wonders. Surrender to God for the battles you don’t tell anyone about. Worship him much louder during the trials and trust him even more in the dark. And last but not the least, being a woman, I would like to dispense a message to all the lovely ladies out there, be it a stay at home mother or working ones, that demand, demand, and demand to be treated like a queen, respected, valued and cherished, no matter what the situation is, so as to create not just a feministic but a humanistic society. Until we meet again!

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