Tunnel vision

Unstick a stuck perspective

Tunnel vision can be a temporary vision defect for some, or it can be an engrained less-than-ideal limitation on not just vision, but thought perspective.

Tunnel vision can be a natural response to a perceived danger, and can be helpful to hyperfocus in short bursts. But if stuck perpetually in a tunnel vision state, in other words hyperaware/hypervigilant, it is a maladaptation that can lead to poor performance and ultimately suffering.

Reprogramming a habit requires forcing the issue. Walk around your block slowly, careful to observe when your thoughts return to scanning for danger (external or internal). If stuck in a hypervigilant state, it is likely occurring quite often. Retraining requires replacing the thought of “is this a danger?” with something else, for example, “the color of the sky is so warm”. Regardless of what you replace it with, it’s a forced effort to change a habit. It’s not easy, but it is possible.