Survival Tips: Checklist Living

When the going gets tough, the tough get... Checklisting, apparently. Or at least, that's what this tough one does. Let's get some history here. When things were very bad, I couldn't stand when people seemed to run through a checklist. By that, I mean that, when I was feeling rough, people would often say 'Are you sleeping? Have you had breakfast? How much water have you drunk today? Could you get some exercise?'. If one of those wasn't complete, that was what my feelings were attributed to. It sounded so easy- as if, so long as I completed all of those things, I would be the picture of happiness. Eventually, it got to the point where just the mere mention of those things made me feel angry and like my problems were being minimised.

Flash forwards a bit. As I started to recover, I became more self-aware. I began to realise that, actually, though basic things, like eating and sleeping, weren't going to cure everything, not having done them did tend to make things feel worse. They were by no means a cure- but they could help. Plus, I realised that I needed the little things in place, as the foundations, to enable myself to do the bigger things. For example, if I hadn't slept and hadn't eaten properly, revision was pretty much a no-go until I'd got that on place.

That was the beginning of my checklist- my way of making sure that I'd got the basics in place. Some days, it would be fully written out, so I could tick the things I'd done; other days, I just needed it in my head; and, little by little- the more I made sure I was using it- some days I didn't need it at all.

Flash forward a bit more, to now. A lot of the time, the things on the checklist just get woven into the fabric of everyday life- I don't need to think about it. Other days I do, and that's okay. I think it's always going to be that way, and I'm fine with that. Sometimes I need to strip things right back to the basics. That's not giving in. That's accepting my limits and taking care of myself.

As I've had to use the checklist a bit recently, I thought I'd share it with you. Maybe it'll inspire someone to create a 'basic need checklist' of their own; maybe you've got things to add? The main thing is that it's something personal, something to fall back on when things get rough. Here ya go :)

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So, I'm feeling rough. Have I...?

- Had enough sleep?

- Eaten three proper meals?

- Drunk 1-2L of water?

- Had some fresh air?

- Done some exercise?

- Had a chat with friends/family?

- Spent time with people?

- Walked the dog?

- Showered & got dressed?

- Had a hug?

- Spoken to someone if I need to?

- Made sure I got some downtime?