Hierarchy of needs
We all have needs, as outlined by Abraham Maslow above, and yet we can be quite specialised in what is most necessary to our health and happiness.
Some people don’t need a lot of sleep. Others are the human equivalent of koalas.
Some people need to go running to stay sane. Others will get shin splits just looking at a pair of trainers.
The key thing is that you know what your specific hierarchy of needs is.
Mine is:
- Sleep. It’s the difference between feeling like Snow White spinning around in a meadow full of larks or lurching about like a flesh-eating cast member of The Walking Dead.
- Coffee. We have been in love since 1999, making it my longest romance to date. EC luvs caffeine 4 eva.
- Yoga. I rarely make it to an actual class but I get my cat/cow and downward facing dog on every night, albeit in a disappointingly PG way.
- Good food. Nothing puts me in a bad mood quite like a day of poor food choices. I am currently dealing with gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related heartburn so it is virtually impossible to find anything that doesn’t a) raise my blood sugar too much, b) make me feel like I have been drinking battery acid. The struggle is real.
- Social connection. Even if it’s only with a limited number of people, I need to feel emotionally connected to my loved ones, whether by text message, Facebook or in person. I am stalking you because I love you.
- Mental stimulation. It’s funny how the book I’m reading (Hot Milk by Deborah Levy) or the show I’m watching (Bloodlines on Netflix) can really affect my mood. An interesting conversation, article, or movie has the power to make my day so I try and choose carefully lest my mind get stuck in a pond of cultural slime.
- Sunshine and fresh air. I am extremely susceptible the emotional effects of weather which is why I could never live on an Antarctic research station. Sunshine = JOY. Gloomy weather = FIRES OF MORDOR. I need to get outside and admire the colour of bougainvillea flowers, the tenacity of concrete crack ferns, fish scale cloud patterns and other people’s dogs in order to stay sane.
Beyond this, some nice-to-haves are swimming in the ocean, having my own pet dog and chickens, gardening and, last but not least, blinding sexy times with The Spark (who will find this reference mortifying).
What do you need to be happy? And is it easy enough to factor into your daily life?
