How to Honor Your Hierarchy of Needs

Let’s do a hybrid psychology lesson with words of affirmation!

This is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. In simplest terms, the idea behind Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is that an individual’s basic needs must get met before the next level can be attained.

We see Maslow’s Hierarchy play out in our own lives every day. For instance, how hard is it to focus on work if you are hungry and tired? Are you able to easily seek knowledge or promotions if you haven’t had recent access to a shower or toiletries? Would it ever occur to you to ask a homeless person, “How’s your self-esteem?” before asking, “Do you have access to safe shelter?”

With me so far? Your physiological, safety, and connection needs must be met before you can focus on self-esteem and self-actualization.

So at this point you may be thinking, “Thanks for the Psych 101 lesson Allie, but why are you drawing attention to this right now and think it’s so important that you’ve made it the topic of your first blog post?”

Well…we are going on year three of a pandemic that has killed over 1 million of our own countrymen. We’re helplessly watching a madman kill thousands and displace millions halfway around the world. We’re experiencing our own government harm trans children and their families. We’re bystanders to environmental catastrophes brought on by corporate recklessness. And yet consistently I hear people beat themselves up for feeling unmotivated, feeling overwhelmed, and experiencing difficulty focusing.

IT IS CHALLENGING to focus on flourishing and personal growth when we are in survival mode! When our basic needs are neglected or outright jeopardized, it is unrealistic for us to readily rise to being our best selves every single day.

Let’s give ourselves some contextual understanding why it’s hard to focus on work or general productivity. Why we’re feeling consistently scattered, exhausted, or overloaded. Why we’re missing deadlines, slacking on workout routines, or connecting with fewer friends.

We are in survival mode. We are reserving our energy for meeting basic needs.

After all, behavioral patterns don’t occur in a vacuum. We repeat behaviors that benefit us or meet a need in some capacity whether that’s consciously or not. Many of us are currently behaving in a way that aligns strongest with our needs in this moment: needs for safety, stability, peace, clean food/water, and rest. There is limited room for prioritizing self-actualization.

And if you’re thinking, “Allie, don’t paint all of us with a broad brush, I absolutely flourished the last few years!”

Great! Sincerely, I am so grateful that’s true for you. But maybe consider you are one of the fortunate ones and you may need to extend patience to others who are struggling to meet their basic needs on a consistent basis like you are. You were able to flourish because you had the resources available to make space for you to prioritize your highest level of needs instead of spending energy strategizing how to get your basic needs met.

So be kind and gentle to yourself, and be kind and gentle to others. We’re being constantly bombarded with dangerous information when not being placed in direct danger ourselves.

Picture us as cell phones on power saver mode, reserving battery for the most essential functions. Have a snack, drink some water, let yourself rest, spend time with supportive people, consume comforting media, allow your body to enjoy movement, get some fresh air…meet your basic needs.