How To Be Observant

Okay look, this isn't going to be easy, most people are not observant at all and lull through their daily lives without being vigilant. The trick to truly being observant is the ability to detach. Can you remain calm and detach while being throttled by your boss or embarrassed by your friends? Would these scenarios have happened in the first place if you were truly observant? Can you sense when something extremely wrong or right is about to happen?

Observant behavior starts with knowing what your neutral state is. How do you feel when you aren't experiencing anything dire or stressing? The calmest form of demeanor is equated to how observant you are. When your neutral state is disturbed, thinking and reactions become dull and unresponsive. Begin with three quick breaths and then three long ones, relax your jaw and drop your stomach (most people suck it in). This is your neutral state, one in which you have no opinion, bias or desire.

Components to observant behavior are continued by hyper awareness. This starts with scanning your surroundings. Take heed to as many details as you can without getting bogged down by too many small intricacies. Know and feel where certain items are in relation to you now. What's permanent and what is moving? Take it all in. Once you have a general sense of what is around you and what is present, try to keep this feeling going while interacting with different people. Remember to stay relaxed and not to allow what you hear or see to form a permanent opinion of yourself or others. Keep your frame of mind and listen to the words and actions of others, being as aware as possible. This will help you gain understanding and react appropriately.

Knowing this information will help you interact with others utilizing more zeal, effort and consideration. Keep in mind when interacting with people that some may have an ill response to you, keep your frame, breathe and wait. Ask yourself if you are still in your neutral point, this is not a time to hold emotions but to express them appropriately. It's advised to not become unruly or violent, these things tend to detract from observant attitudes. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to be yourself. Staying present and observant can and will help you navigate situations such as these with a clear head.

If you keep this practice you will also begin to notice the ill habits you harbor within yourself. When you notice these deeds, do not judge them but try to improve them step by step. If you need help then get the help required and know that using the right resources is not shameful at all. Those who judge this may need to seek out and change their own vices. Moreover, you'll be able to slowly design who you want to become because you can detach but also feel the experiences you go through in order to grow. A good tip is to start a journal, chart or record of what you go through keeping in mind how it impacted you and what you can do differently to grow or elicit a different response from the scenarios you go through.

What we see with our eyes, what we feel with our hearts and how we interact with others is the crux of life itself and when paired with the ability of observation, life can be made just a little easier. The technique of observance will help you alter the vision of your life enough to cope, change or navigate through it.