"Self-help" for life's stresses is often full of acronyms and a lot of them are more cute than useful, but this one is a keeper.
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
When you feel irritated or anxious, one — or more — of those four conditions is likely going on, and if not noticed and tended to, they can lead you to very bad places. Explosions at others, self-destructive acts, relapses into addictions.
The beauty of the "HALT" Theory is it reminds us of several things at the same time:
- To halt before we act out, and reconnect with the God.
- To tend to our physical and emotional well-being — not just go running around on fumes without eating and sleeping.
- That these feelings are short lived, and once we see them for what they are and let go of our attachment to them, they lose their power over us.
The Halt Theory Overview:
Are you anxious or irritated? Are you beginning to attack someone or lose control?
Are you feeling hopeless, or like giving up and returning to an addiction?
- HALT! Pause — especially if there is an escalating situation. Take a deep breath or count to ten.
- HUNGRY: Did you eat at the last regular mealtime? Or did you skip it?
- ANGRY: Is your judgment clouded by anger right now?
- LONELY: Are you feeling disconnected from other people, whether alone or in a group, but without making an effort to communicate ?
- TIRED: Did you get enough sleep last night? Many people are so unaccustomed to what enough sleep feels like that this may be new territory. (this is one of the biggest problems in our society right now!)
- If you identified with one of these problem areas, if possible, address it.
- Eat, nap, calm down, or focus on socializing or helping someone else.
- If you identified a problem area, but can’t address it right now, focus on being aware . Admit that you are feeling this way and that you let yourself get into a difficult state. Often just this awareness is enough to calm down the situation entirely.
- Make a habit of spot-checking your self and see if you are really taking care of yourself. Are you getting enough sleep, eating well and regularly, and socializing and helping others?
The common thing with "Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired" is that they take us away from conscious and fresh contact with God, which is our natural state. They kick up fear — either an obvious survival fear or a subtle fear that we’re not going to be OK down the road.
Fear is not a thing in itself; fear is the absence of God.
Fear means you’re not trusting that things are as they’re meant to be.
Actually, you’re not trusting God’s plan.
Never FEAR talking to a counselor or Pastoral Counselor when you know that you are not handling anxiety, depression, addictions or the changes that life might be excessively stressing you out with. God prepared them to help others... BE FREE!
Proverbs 13:10
Through insolence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
Proverbs 15:22
Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.
