Meeting your own needs will free you to build an astonishing and brilliant life

“Typically, people overlook self-care,” says Alicia H Clark, PsyD, PLLC, licensed clinical psychologist in Washington D.C.

“They forget to put on the oxygen mask first.”

She says that getting enough sleep is a physiological and basic need, and is more important to your wellness than you may think.

“You can tolerate missing one night of sleep. But eventually the lack of sleep will get in the way of managing your emotions and being able to make good choices.”

Besides failing to meet basic physical needs such as sleep, exercise and food, people often fail to meet their emotional needs.

SO WHAT ARE EMOTIONAL NEEDS?

When I first read about emotional needs in a brochure on codependency 12 years ago, I was unable to think of one single emotional need I might have. I grew up in a family that did not talk about feelings, except to be told that it was unladylike to express anger. No wonder I was unprepared to create and maintain relationships.

Since then, I have learned that emotional needs are what drive us to get up in the morning. And I trained myself to meet my emotional and self-esteem needs without relying on others so much.

When talking about needs, mental health workers cite American psychologist Abraham Harold Maslow’s work — specifically his needs hierarchy pyramid.