Situational awareness and you... my story

[Glock22]

Last night I was at Summerfest for those of you who don't know it is this huge music festival in Milwaukee. The second I got down there my head was on a swivel, and throughout the whole night I don't think I was looking in the same direction more than a few seconds. I was just constantly observing my surroundings and evaluating the area around me for threats.

At one point of the night I saw these wannabe gangsters kind of standing next to a walkway and one of them reached out and kind of grabbed this ladies arm as she was walking by, when that happened bells where going off in my head, more so than if I was alone, because I was with a girl from work that I am friends with. But after that night of being on constant alert I was exhausted.

After getting home from somewhere do any of you just feel exhauseted from a constant state of heightened awareness? Also lets hear some of your situational awareness stories.

 

[robert garner]

Like any exercise it gets easier as you get more proficient.
Whats fun is pointing out the obvious,...to the oblivious!
robert

 

[tank mechanic]

I stay in a state of high alertness because I know that threats can have no warning and be completely random. Yes i do feel very tired at the end of the day. But then I think about what could have happened.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rhLC1-FeNwA&mode=related&search=

and

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-MmhPF9cDBc

On the first one the robber is actually talking about how unaware people are right before he robs someone and how easy it makes his job. The second one IS NOT WORK SAFE! It is also pretty offensive with a lot of cursing but it shows perfectly how random an assault can be. I am sure this video has been on here before. It is a perfect example for having an armed and aware citizenry.

 

[AndyC]

...after that night of being on constant alert I was exhausted.

Now imagine doing it for a living, 12-18 hours at a time

It does get less tiring once you've been regularly exercising those mental muscles, but it's never easy.

 

[Imaginos]

I got so tired of being on alert all of the time when out in public that I made a conscious decision that there are damned few places or events (especially "festivals") I am sufficiently interested in to put up with the risks and hassles associated with crowds and the predators they attract.

 

[TallPine]

Just send your wife to town, and stay home on the ranch

 

[Sheldon J]

Every time I go someplace other than my yard I am in swivel neck mode, and yes it is very tiering, it's kind of hard to enjoy eating out when you eyeball every body there, every one entering and exiting the place, but you get use to it.

 

[ravencon]

Stress tends to be cumulative. It should be helpful to find a way of relaxation and release that works for you. Exercise combined with relaxation techniques is commonly recommended for stress reduction.

 

[Brian@ITC]

I am on "alert" most of the time. About the only time I relax at all is at home. I don't view being aware as tiring but rather it is "training" for me. As I am one to believe that "Everything is training" as stated by Al Pacino in the movie "The Recruit".

I just make it a habit to do it as others make it a habit not to do it. You are either going to be aware or not. The difference could be life or death. So, what is it worth to YOU for what little effort you actually have to put forth?

I can't tell you how many times my situational awareness has been effective because it may have saved my life more than just once! You see, by being aware you don't always know WHEN you have deterred someone from confronting you!

Quite honestly, I find that watching people is very entertaining because most people are not aware and live in a fantasy world. You don't always have to appear to be aware in situations because someone may get the wrong idea that you are starring at them and then create a situation because you were being aware. You need to be aware that you are being aware and that you do not create something that could have been avoided. Did that make sense?

 

[Caimlas]

After getting home from somewhere do any of you just feel exhauseted from a constant state of heightened awareness? Also lets hear some of your situational awareness stories.

Yes, all the time. It's part of the reason why I hate crowds. I can't help but be on high alert around people I'm unfamiliar with. I'm a naturally observant person and I'm able to pick up on a lot of little social nuances, so naturally the more people there are the more distracting it is.

I got so tired of being on alert all of the time when out in public that I made a conscious decision that there are damned few places or events (especially "festivals") I am sufficiently interested in to put up with the risks and hassles associated with crowds and the predators they attract.

Absolutely. On the flip side: the more dangerous a place is, the more dangerous it is for an observant person, in some respects: your observations (and lack of submissive, victim behavior) will be seen as aggressive and threatening.

You can improve upon your peripheral vision (by exercising it), and you can make yourself appear to be less observant than you are through posture and behavior changes - ie, learn how to read body language better and don't look people in the face. I've been working on it, and have been getting a bit better...

 

[Bob F.]

Stay out of high risk areas, be alert but not psycho. Trust your instincts and spidey sense. When in higher risk areas, crank up the SA.

Stopped for a few groceries one night on way home from out of town. Wife & I went in without problem, not strung out but not with our heads... ah, well, buried? Coming out 5 minutes later, without a word we both stopped on the sidewalk, and looked around. Nothing. She said :"I'll carry the groceries, you keep your hands free." Walked to the car uneventfully but alert.

I don't live in a high crime area but bad things do happen, mostly between druggies but sometimes..........

Stay safe.
Bob

PS: This was before she had her CCW. Now we'd probably split the groceries.

 

[cracked butt]

I have to travel through a bad area gto get to work and where I work isn't the best either. (I drive fondulac Avenue through 'da hood' from menomonee falls to get to the 'East Side' on North Ave. Stopping at red lights at night is stimulating to say the least ) The other day I was approached by a big scruffy looking minority at a gas station in the fringe area between the good and bad neighborhoods. He made a bee-line straight at me from the other side of the parking lot. I stepped over the gas hose to put it between him and I, never broke eye contact with him, and tried to puff myself up to look bigger. I'm a pretty big guy to start with, but I'll take whatever advantage I can get to not look like an easy mark. He got withing 10 feet from me- I held my hand hand out and told him to stop, he looked me over and then asked me if I wanted to buy some of the crap he was carrying around. I told him to get lost.

In that situation I might have welcomed a crowd, depending on the makeup of the crowd. A week or so ago, a few people were pulled from their cars and beaten a few blocks from where I work, there was a 'Juneteenth' celebration going on and a group of 'disadvantaged youths' decided to start rioting.

Oddly enough, the safest I've felt in a crowd was at the Milwaukee lake front a few years ago amongst about 250,000 bikers. Summerfest along with some of the ethnic fest(s) tend to draw crowds within crowds (if that makes sense)that prey on individuals both inside and outside of the gates.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I can relate some experiences . . . but my experiences are unique to me, and may or may not offer anything to learn from.


I see plenty of articles and trainers suggest we be aware. Situational awareness. Know who's around you at all times.


Those fellas might not want to admit it. But its impossible to live life in Condition Yellow. So, I ask . . .


Be aware of what?

 

[target1911]

I drive a wrecker....if I am not in some bad neighborhood, I am loading a car on the side of the highway <<<<<<very stressfull.....must always BE ALERT. Yes I am very tired at the end of the day and I attribute most of it to the stress.


********my chance to Educate*****
PLEASE......if you see a tow truck on the side of the road.....slow down and move over IF AT ALL POSSIBLE....I dont know that you see me. All I see is 4000 pounds of steel heading towards me. You will only be a maximum of 2 ft away from me at 70+mph.I have a family that Loves me and wants me home at night.

didnt mean to hijack
Thanks
David

 

[Alphazulu6]

Sounds like PTSD. Have any past issues that might be triggering this type attitude and involvement with your surroundings?

 

[Titan6]

PTSD? That is quite a jump from being tired after a concert to mental illness.

If you consider that you were probably quite tired from the event and likely a late hour I would not worry about it much. Figure yes you are going to spend a fair amount of energy dealing with so many people at once that it will be hard at the end of the day. That is also where I see most people make mistakes. You counteract it to a degree by abstaining form alcohol and taking caffeine (I find coffee works best). You don't want too much to make you jumpy.

If you don't take drugs of this type then your best bet is to immerse your head into cold water. This will cool your head and help stimulate blood flow to your head.

 

[Alphazulu6]

HAHA Titan6 you always have a followup to my comments!

I had a problem like this after the first roll to the sand-box and it was really irritating to not be able to go to a mall or public place without getting that "I'm in the open" feeling... all the noises and such and trying not to be in the "react" mode to people making loud noises while at the mall, heck even the kids that squeel at those damn indoor playgrounds was difficult to adjust to walking by as it took a while to get used to real life again where it isnt all life and death. I could see potential gang bangers maybe being a stimulus for someone to feel that hightened sense of awareness

That was why I was asking not because I was saying he is mentally ill just that maybe something had happened in his personal life that may have attributed to this type of personal stress and need for situational alicraty.

 

[Glock22]

That was why I was asking not because I was saying he is mentally ill just that maybe something had happened in his personal life that may have attributed to this type of personal stress and need for situational alicraty.

Well I used to always try to be aware but then it was called being paranoid. But reading things on THR have made me very aware of the dangers that could lurk in corners that we know little or nothing about. So now whenever I am out and about I am especially aware of my surroundings.

 

[trueblue1776]

Chopper Reid has some healthy advice for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc
If you are disturbed by gratuitous f-bombs do not follow link.

 

[Jeets]

Gock22... please go back and re-read BullfrogKen's post. I know that you believe that you are on constant awareness but that's just not possible. By the way, how was the concert?

 

[Glock22]

But reading things on THR have made me very aware of the dangers that could lurk in corners that we know little or nothing about. So now whenever I am out and about I am especially aware of my surroundings.

please go back and re-read BullfrogKen's post. I know that you believe that you are on constant awareness but that's just not possible. By the way, how was the concert?

I never said that I have constant awareness, when I re-read what I wrote I see that a person that is trying to be more aware of their surroundings than when they normally are.

 

[PistolPackin'Papa]

I feel sorry for y'all living in a big city. It is much easier in a smaller town. As said by others, practice makes perfect. It is a state of mind. After awhile, personal defense is a habit, and becomes second nature and not so stressful. Move to a city under 100,000 folks, and you will not believe the differance in the attitudes. Under 30,000 and you will think you are in heaven. Don't give up, just keep alert and it will become second nature.
PPP

 

[Jeets]

Look I know all of us here are super ninjas, BUT to those such as myself there will be times (many) when you are caught in the hole. What now? Do you possess the social skills and control to get yourself out? Will you be comfortable working in that environment? And after you draw you pocket Keltec he doesn't flee, what is plan B?

 

[PistolPackin'Papa]

I have needed my CCW 2 times in 37 years. But, there were many other times that a "knowing" and "confident" smile probably did more good that all the gun powder at the Pendelton Marine base. On several occasions, just a non threating, yet confident smile has got me out of more poop than you can imagine. First, the creeps don't like it when you address them personally. a smile and a "plesent stare," are forms of address. It takes experience, practice and age, but a plesent gaze of "I can be your friend, or I can destroy you, your choise," works wonders. It worked for me as an LEO, and in private life. God has let me live 59 years, so I guess it must work sometimes. Have a nice day.

PPP

 

[PistolPackin'Papa]

OH, if the above doesn't work, then you "cut loose your dogs" and show um what burning cordite smells like. But the above works more times than not.

PPP