2020 put us through very challenging situations. We lived through a pandemic as we weathered storms and other natural disasters, and tried our best to thrive in such challenging times. This just proves that we have to make space for changes in plans we committed to at the beginning of the year. We should protect our sanity as it represents our total well-being, physical and mental. So how do we sort our priorities?
Let’s use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as our guide to help us organize our priorities. At the lowest level, physiological needs: we have food, water, and rest. When we weather typhoons and our homes are filled with flood water, isn’t our nutrition and basic needs the very first things that we try to protect? The same is true when the pandemic started and people flocked to the supermarkets to stock up on their needs.
Next in the hierarchy is safety needs. This pertains to both the physical and emotional aspects. Are we safe with the people around us? When Typhoon Ulysses poured and it started flooding in our home, I was forced to make a choice: Should I return things to where they were and focus on the home or take the time to process my feelings about the situation? I chose the latter. I chose the emotional safety of my well-being and that of my family. I allowed myself to feel sad. I permitted myself to just feel, allowing for my heightened feelings to settle.
Before pursuing self-fulfillment needs, which pertains to self-actualization, and psychological needs, which refers to love and belongingness, I urge you to prioritize your basic needs. We will have more time for bigger goals if the foundation is safely laid out.
Take it one day at a time. Don’t attempt to carry everything on your shoulders. Compromising your basic needs in exchange for those in the higher levels can lead to relapses or an overworked system. Calm your mind; you’re doing enough by keeping yourself alive. Choose not to pressure yourself too much because we are not treading in normal circumstances. Yes, we may be in the middle of the “new normal” but we’re still getting used to it. Don’t rush the process. Take it easy and let days unfold as they should. Ride with the waves and learn as things go along. Set yourself loose from the leash of control because choosing our basic needs – our safety and our sanity – will someday equip us with a robust facility to achieve and go after those that can fulfill higher order needs. The smallest things that we choose today can impact our tomorrows in more profound ways than you may think. – WITH PAU DE VERA
Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash