What do you need right now? It’s a simple question that could spark a world of thought. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what it is that you really need at that moment?
I found myself asking this exact question one morning. I was sitting down with a cup of coffee I found myself wondering – what do I need right now?
I have my family. I have a compassionate group of friends, I have my loving partner, and I have my health.
Could I consider myself pretty lucky in this case?
I think sometimes that we get caught up in our needs and desires and we are always striving for more. We are always saying that we need more of something.
People talk about this on a daily basis. We are constantly saying that need more money, we need more clothing, we need a bigger house, we need a better car, or we need more things.
We often forget about the basic needs of human beings and what those basic needs are.
That morning was a turning point for me as it made me realize that things that I thought I needed, are possibly not things that I really need -but what society leads me to believe.
We’ve been bombarded with advertisements saying that we just need more and more to the point that we can never have the possibility to be satisfied with what we have.
Let’s take a look and find out what our needs really mean.
What Are Your Basic Needs Right Now?
Take a moment to think about your basic needs.
Do you have food ?
Do you have water?
Do you have shelter?
Basic needs go beyond those three things- and while those three things are in fact important for our survival, there are other fundamental basic needs that human beings need.
Some of those fundamental needs include sleep, human connection, and novelty.
Sleep is one of the basic needs in which it helps us to function and process new knowledge. Without a good sleep pattern our brain simply can’t actively take in new information. Sleeping well also maintains our physical health.
Human connection is a basic need in which we need to have a physical or emotional connection with others in order to release certain hormones in our brains.
In society today, we now feel more alone than ever.
We spend more time away from our loved ones, more time communicating online, and more time by ourselves. We’re craving connection, and people are creating communities to fulfill this basic need that we are losing.
We need each other in order to survive.
Novelty is supplied when we have the opportunity to learn and grow. If we stay stagnant for too long, a healthy sense of well-being could be lost.
Take some time to ask yourself if you have these six basic needs right now. Besides
Do you have good sleep patterns?
Do you have human connection and a community that you can rely on?
Do you have a sense of novelty – are you constantly growing or are you staying stagnant?
These are important questions to ask yourself as they affect your core being and sense of self.
What Do You Personally Need Right Now?
It’s time to get honest with yourself. What are some things that you can think of that you personally need right now? This could be physical or emotional.
That morning, when I was sitting in my kitchen- I was thinking of what things I personally needed at that moment.
I was feeling SO stressed with work and I just needed a little bit more me-time.
I needed a day or two to clear my mind from the letter that lived there for quite some time. Take a step back from what I was doing to decide the next steps that I should take.
Do you need to read a new book to learn new things?
Do you need a nice glass of wine to relax?
Do you need to catch up on some sleep?
Do you need a break yourself- from work, from the home, or from your kids?
Ask yourself these questions without judgment.
Take some of these thoughts or ideas that you have and write them down on a piece of paper.
It could be that there are things that you’re not able to fulfill right away at this very moment but you can plan for the future.
Another way to get started is to also consider what might be going well for you and what do you want to continue doing in your life that is bringing you purpose.
Carefully consider what areas in your life seem to be a struggle and how you can find a solution to those struggles.
Think about something that you are eager to learn or something that you are eager to do.
Is there something that you have been putting off that you’ve been wanting to accomplish for a while now?
What Do You Need More of Right Now?
Although constantly thinking about the things you need more of and not being happy with what you have – could lead you down a lonely path it’s also important to note that there’s nothing wrong with needing a little more of something in your life.
For example:
Do you need more love?
Do you need more sleep?
Do you need more books to read and learn?
If this something serves you a purpose in your life, then you should consider how to get more if it.
This isn’t the same as partaking in extreme consumerism or not living minimally, it’s just the opposite.
It’s recognizing what you value in life and what you may be missing.
For example, I could ALWAYS use more coffee. Even though I minimized my coffee intake over the years, I still get a random coffee craving throughout the day and take full advantage of it.
I like the act of holding a warm cup of joe and taking in that moment to enjoy the taste.
What Do You Need Less of Right Now?
Thinking about what you need less of is just as proactive as thinking about what you need more of.
For example, if you take a look around your kitchen and find that it’s cluttered with pots and pans than you may have to consider that you need fewer things in your way when you are trying to cook or rummage around in your kitchen.
Considering what you need less of is just the act of acknowledging the essentials in your life and what doesn’t serve its purpose.
One way to do this would be to walk to your home and you can recognize some of the things that you may need and other things that you can let go of.
Needing less in your life doesn’t only pertain to physical things, but this could pertain to emotional things as well.
For example:
Do you need a little less stress in your life?
Do you need to work less?
Do you need to say yes less?
Recognizing a few basic things here and there that you may need less could really benefit and really help you to live an intentional lifestyle.
Has this topic sparked your world of thought about your needs, wants, and desires?
I’d like to invite you to share a few things that you recognized you needed right now in the comments below!