Meet Your Basic Needs
What do we mean by ‘basic needs’?
As part of our genetic make-up, we all have an inbuilt drive to meet a set of physical and emotional needs. When the needs are well met, the brain triggers the release of chemicals that give you a feeling of satisfaction. If we have lives that have little or no satisfaction, we suffer and we also make ourselves vulnerable to emotional problems and addictive behaviours.
The false feeling of satisfaction that is experienced as a result of addiction to tobacco, alcohol, drugs or harmful behaviours is a poor substitute for a life that works well.
Meeting your needs helps to create a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Without meaning, people can fall prey to depression.
How do I know if I am meeting my basic needs?
The easiest way to tell is to become aware of your feelings. You don’t need me to tell you that the sensation of thirst is an indication that your body requires hydration, or eating food can satisfy a hunger. You already know that hunger and thirst are signals from yourself that you need to take action to meet a certain need. If ignored, the discomfort will increase to such a level that it will dominate your attention until you are compelled to act.
Just as you will experience a physical discomfort if your physical needs are not met, neglecting emotional or psychological needs will result in emotional or psychological discomfort. A person who is isolated from others will likely experience loneliness, a lack of creativity and stimulation will result in boredom, a lack of control or autonomy brings a sense of helplessness or anxiety as things become less predictable.
Any neglected need, will make itself known by sending you an uncomfortable feeling. That feeling is designed to make you take action and seek a sense of satisfaction.
What are my basic needs?
When considering what our basic needs might be, there will be some that are obvious and some that are less so. There are some needs that we cannot ignore. Basic survival relies on immediate physical needs: breath, hydration, nourishment, shelter, sleep, warmth and movement.
Beyond meeting these needs, we require safe territory, a secure environment, and a reasonable amount of predictability in the way things are. As tribal creatures, we have the social needs of intimacy, friendship and community, providing opportunities to make a contribution and to feel that we belong. We need to give and receive attention.
It is also important to be mindful of the connection between mind and body by exercising and getting good nutrition.
With the basics in place, a sense of personal growth and well being rely on creativity and stimulation, a sense of purpose, setting and achieving goals, a sense of autonomy, self-esteem, confidence and recognition from others.
We all need to feel that our lives have meaning. If we consistently neglect our innate needs, it can result in a loss of motivation, a feeling that life lacks meaning and emotional distress. An open doorway to depression, addiction or other emotional problems such as anxiety.
A good psychotherapist will not only help you to identify your missing needs but will encourage and support you in your efforts to set appropriate goals.
How to look after your basic needs:
Make sure that you are having regular contact with other people by socialising with friends, or if your social network is small, join a club or a social group, or get involved in some local voluntary work.
Make a contribution by helping others. It is just as important to give attention, as it is to receive it. Often it’s the little things that mean a lot – who could you help today?
Pay good attention to your nutritional needs.
- Drink 1-2 litres of water per day.
- Eat foods that provide you with essential fatty acids (omega 3&6), e.g. fish, flax oil, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, soy beans winter squash, sesame seeds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, olives, avocados, almonds, cashews.
- Get the right amount of good quality protein in your diet. On average this would add up to around 15% of your daily intake of food. Good protein sources are soya, fish, meat, beans, legumes, quinoa, eggs and dairy.
- Have at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruit every day, paying particular attention to green vegetables. Consider what is seasonal and local and include a great variety of colour.
- Include whole grains in your diet – brown rice, millet, oats, whole wheat, rye, corn, and quinoa.
- Reduce or eliminate refined junk foods and damaged fats from your diet. Even if you are eating well most of the time, junk foods can impact on physical and emotional health because they present a challenge to the body. E.g. refined sugars use the body’s vital stores of vitamins and minerals in order to be digested.
Step outside your comfort zone from time to time. Set yourself some challenges or goals so that you have a sense of direction in life. There’s little point in being on a journey if you don’t know where you are heading! You will also be adding to your confidence and self-esteem when you achieve your goals.
Find a creative outlet.
Take regular exercise
For further reading on this very important topic go to Human Givens Publishing at http://www.humangivens.com
