When you start to feel yourself struggling, or becoming dysregulated, stressed or feeling on the edge of overwhelm, it’s very helpful to do an initial physiological check-in first, before going to psychological or emotional “issues”, or, allowing your inner-critic to jump in with its usual judgmental assessment of you.
Please note, this is particularly important for highly sensitive people, and those with a history or trauma.
So start by asking yourself the following:
- Am I tired?
- Did I sleep enough/well last night?
- Am I hungry?
- Am I cold?
- Have I eaten properly?
- Am I sufficiently hydrated?
- Do I have any pain or other symptoms in my body which are affecting my mood and energy levels?
- Where are my energy levels at and are they sufficient to meet the task/day ahead?
- Have I had too much caffeine, alcohol or unhealthy food recently?
- Have I been ill recently? Or been through something stressful and draining?
- Have I remembered to take any medicine or supplements which help me stay balanced?
Always start with the physiological first, as when we feel depleted or activated it’s easy to always assume that something more complex is at play and then we tend to berate ourselves for not being up to something we’d planned or wanted to do.
But, if we’re simply too tired, hungry, or cold or just lacking in energy that day, then these are our first places to notice and attend to, and then adjust your plans accordingly. Often, simply re-scheduling; eating more or getting more sleep is enough to shift our mood and mindset and our ability to feel that we can cope better.
It also crucially quietens down our inner-critic/saboteur who likes to always think it’s some fundamental failing in us causing our discomfort or struggle, when much of the time our body is simply needing more or less of something. Remember, the inner-critical parts have a tendency to blow things out of proportion, when in fact it could be something very simple that needs attention.
And don’t be hard on yourself. Instead, be kind and soft towards yourself.
Ask these basic questions and take care of your physical needs first, and especially before embarking on an important task, meeting, or when making important decisions.
As always, we can learn from our animal friends in this regard, as they are innate experts in doing what their body needs first and above all else.
And when we DO tend to the physiological first, many times the mind and emotional self can naturally and gently settle down also.
©Angela Dunning
Art by Franz Marc.