This week, to attain, maintain or regain your sense of wellbeing...
...practice satisfying your basic needs. This means making sure you are getting enough sleep, eating regular meals, staying hydrated, and taking care of your physical health.
Pay special attention to what your body needs and respond to those needs with care and compassion.Regularly tune into your body and notice if you are hungry, if you are thirsty, if your muscles are tight and need to move, if you are tired. If these things are hard for you, try to set a reminder on your phone and do a quick body scan each time it goes off. Keeping a water bottle close by is a helpful reminder to drink water. Keeping nutritious snacks and meals available is a good reminder to eat well.Setting a wind-down time before bed is a great way to support your sleep.
By satisfying your basic needs, you will be able to build your resilience to stress and distress and create a foundation for better mental health.
Once you are comfortable with this practice, add Satisfy My Basic Needs to your Personal Coping Kete for times of stress and distress. Before reacting to upsetting situations, thoughts, and feelings, you'll be able to do a quick body scan and take care of your body first. Things are a lot easier to deal with when we are well-fuelled.
