Hey, welcome back to

your Daily Mindfulness.

In today's session, we're going to discuss

a simple technique, an acronym, that you

can use to practice better self-care and

not get caught up in reactive tendencies.

So have you ever had the experience where

something just feels off in the moment?

You say something you wish you didn't say,

you do something you wish you didn't do.

Maybe you're just caught up in

a reactive way of being that

doesn't feel like your normal self.

We could chalk this up to moodiness

or situational variables, but a lot

of times that reactivity can come from

some basic needs that aren't being met.

And one way we can help with this

is through the acronym, HALT.

H-A-L-T, which represents four

things that we can make sure we're

addressing throughout the day.

So we're going to go

through it one by one.

The first letter is H

which stands for hunger.

Now part of this is physical hunger,

and I think we're all familiar

with the crankiness that can come

when we haven't eaten in a while.

It makes us more edgy,

cranky, or the popular hangry.

But hunger can also refer

to an emotional hunger.

Perhaps a hunger to fulfill a sense of

purpose or be able to express yourself

or even a hunger to accomplish something.

All of these things can be a form

of hunger as well, that when not met

often create a subconscious feeling of

not being in balance with ourselves.

So the first is hunger and making

sure we're attuned to that.

Next is A, which stands for anger.

Am I angry right now?

It's a very normal experience.

But again, sometimes in the rush of the

day, we don't realize the pent up anger

that we might be holding or something that

was unresolved from earlier in the day,

the week before, or even months before.

So periodically checking in to

see, is there something I'm angry

about that hasn't been fully able

to surface or be processed that's

coming up in a, an unhealthy way.

And this is something we can address by

either having a conversation with someone,

making space for it in our awareness,

or maybe feeling it in a meditation

practice so it can start to release.

So those are the first two hunger anger.

The L stands for loneliness.

Am I lonely right now?

Have I been isolated

all day or a whole week?

I know I'm certainly

susceptible to this in my work.

I enjoy my alone time, but sometimes

I can push it too far and then

start to feel off or unfulfilled.

And it's mainly because I just

need to connect with other people.

Friends, a phone call or even go

to a coffee shop and see strangers.

So checking in.

Am I lonely right now?

Do I need connection?

And lastly, we have T which

stands for, am I tired.

This might be the one where all

most familiar with as a basic

need that often gets neglected.

But it's quite possible that you're

feeling off or reactive in some way, not

because there's anything wrong with you,

but simply because you're exhausted.

Perhaps you need a nap or you need

to prioritize your, your sleep.

We're so used to pushing through

our fatigue that we often forget how

important it is for our emotional

wellbeing to have a full night's

sleep and to be well rested.

So to recap, HALT helps

us connect to four things.

Am I hungry?

Am I angry?

Am I lonely?

And am I tired?

And as you go throughout your day, and

at times when you might feel a little

bit off, see if you can come back to

this as a way to check in with yourself

and practice some more self-care.

As always have fun with it.

Thank you for your practice.

And I'll talk to you soon.

Take care.