Paying Attention on the Road

This week I wanted to really remind everyone how important it is to be aware of your surroundings. This is true in almost any situation. If you are on the road, you need to notice where the other cars are. You need to pay attention to things like road signs, construction, potholes, emergency vehicles, and so much more. If you are at home, you should keep an eye on everyone who lives with you as well as things like strange cars or people in your neighborhood, your elderly neighbor, or even that week old pizza in the back of the fridge. Making sure that you’re paying attention to the world around you can mean the difference between you being healthy and something horrible happening.
Getting into a state of panic over being aware isn’t healthy either, though. It is important to remember that there needs to be a balance between everything. Having a constant fight or flight response on standby is exhausting and can be dangerous to your mental and physical health. In fact, that’s a major symptom of anxiety disorders. If you do suffer from a diagnosed anxiety disorder, it is important that you speak with a doctor to see the best method to handle the disorder for you. Some people benefit from medications, others see more improvement with different types of therapy, and for others it is a combination of the two. The main thing is to be sure that you don’t neglect the balance that needs to be struck.
Paying attention to things around you may seem frivolous, but the truth is that if you don’t you are generally at a higher risk for being hurt. This is why we teach our kids to look both ways before crossing the street or pay close attention to things like addresses and phone numbers of loved ones in case something bad happens. While we could talk extensively about things like the buddy system, we are pretty sure you already know all of this. It doesn’t hurt to have a reminder every now and then, though. With everything else that we have to worry about in our lives, it can be easy to forget the little things. Make sure that you pay attention to things around you and you should be okay. You never know when paying attention may just save your life.