Staying Happier During Covid-19
We had another coVIDEO19 zoom chat last week!
This time we discussed the Six Human Needs. They apply any time as a framework to check in with ourselves. It is especially helpful to be aware of our needs and how we’re meeting them (or not meeting them) in a time of crisis.
WHAT ARE THE SIX HUMAN NEEDS?
1. CERTAINTY
- Stability, predictability, safety.
(Example of how this need can be met: Journaling each day, creating a small daily routine, checking in on loved ones, self-isolating, social distancing, etc.)
2. UNCERTAINTY/VARIETY
- Change, fun, not knowing.
(Ex. video hangouts with different groups, online games, getting creative with meals, picking up a new home hobby, taking a drive somewhere new, etc.)
Uncertainty can also look like watching the news constantly, being anxious about the state of the world, taking unnecessary risks. This is why it’s important to be conscious of HOW we’re meeting our needs.
3. SIGNIFICANCE
- Feeling that you are important, unique, wanted.
(Ex. Providing classes/performances on social media, being the parent and the teacher to kids at home, completing a challenge, lifting others up, helping out a neighbor, etc.)
Significance can look a lot like contribution, but sometimes we meet our need for significance by tearing others down or having it the hardest or being the worst at something.
4. LOVE / CONNECTION
- Self-love, love for others (friends, family, pets), universal love, social bonds, touch (when appropriate)
(Ex. sending mail to loved ones, calls and video chats, connecting with the oneness that all beings are a part of and sending love out into the world, connecting with yourself, feeling your emotions, using self-care, etc.)
GROWTH*
- Learning, self-reflection, skill-building
(Ex. taking an online class, reading a book, spiritual exploration, working out, working with a coach or therapist to be grow emotionally, etc.)
CONTRIBUTION*
- Kind acts, providing in service of/to others
(Ex. donating money to a mutual aid fund, buying local to help small business, providing free offerings on social media, grocery shopping/cooking for a neighbor, sewing masks, home-schooling your kids, etc.)
*Numbers 1-4 are needs of the personality and will ALWAYS be met no matter what. They’ll be met with ways that can be healthy or unhealthy. We’ve got to become aware of our needs and meet them consciously in empowering and healthy ways.
Not everyone will meet their needs for 5 and 6. However, they are key to self-fulfillment and having a sense of purpose. Bonus, if you are doing things to get 5 and 6 met, you are usually finding fulfillment of 1-4 in that process.
What are some ways you are currently meeting these needs? What are some things you want to do to meet them in the coming weeks? Please comment below to share with your fellow artists!
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I’m doing calls weekly during social isolation. Get on my mailing list or follow me on social to hear about them!
This week we’re teaming up with Jess Jones at The Kaufherr Center (Sag-Aftra Chicago) for a virtual Wake-Up Wednesday!
Wed Apr 8, 2020
10am – 11am Central Time - Chicago
Join us for Wake Up Wednesdays! This time around? It’s BYOC - bring your own coffee.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/3905769629
Meeting ID: 390 576 9629
Password: 333333
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And check out my earlier blog for resources for artists during Covid-19 shutdowns.