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Adulting for Mental Health:
A Big Kid’s Checklist
Imagine you are caring for a small child who appears grumpy, sad, withdrawn, or worried—generally out of sorts. You might run through a checklist like this:
- Are they hungry?
- Thirsty?
- Have they been cooped up all day?
- Tired?
- Had too much sugar?
- Bored?
- Lonely?
- Overstimulated?
- Had too much screen time?
- Uncomfortable?
You know that addressing these basic needs will almost always resolve the issue. It’s only after ruling out the obvious that you might consider something more unusual at play.
Playing ‘Baby Mozart’, offering multivitamins, or a new trike won’t make a difference to an overtired child buzzing from sugar and glued to screens all day.
The same principle applies to adults.
During May, we delve into what we call ‘formal practices’ within our broader Human Upgrade Framework, a system designed to promote a balanced, holistic approach to wellness.
Each method supports mental health by lowering stress, reducing anxiety, lifting mood, and boosting energy levels.
Our goal this month is to equip you with knowledge and present you with a ‘tasting platter’ of these practices, delivered primarily in audio form. While these methods are incredibly effective, their success depends on having the fundamentals in place first.
As we delve deeply into ‘formal practices,’ we aim to provide not just techniques but a framework for understanding how they work together with well-maintained foundations.
Basic checks, such as adequate sleep, good nutrition, time to decompress, and proper hydration, form a foundation of well-being that supports every other aspect of our health.
Once we have this solid foundation, we can add more sophisticated tools.
Mindfulness, Breathwork, Relaxation, Hypnosis, Havening, PESO tapping, and other formal practices that we’ll explore are like the icing on the cake. Each supports mental health by lowering stress, reducing anxiety, lifting mood, and enhancing energy levels.
We will offer a ‘tasting platter’ of these practices to try, ensuring you have a robust and realistic toolkit to maintain mental wellness in a balanced and sustainable way.
Action: Try The Checklist now
Adulting for Mental Health: A Big Kid’s Checklist
(Questions to ask yourself – if you’re feeling out of sorts, to make sure you’re not missing something potentially obvious.)
What one thing can I do now – to address any problems I’ve identified and feel better?
- Am I feeling overstimulated?
- Has my food today helped me feel better, or worse?
- Have I been outside enough today?
- Have I drunk enough water today?
- Do I need to deal with or step away from someone?
- Have I been active enough today?
- Have I had enough sleep?
- Have I spent too much time / not enough time with people today?
- Is what I’m allowing in through my senses making me feel good?