For those of us who have heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we will undoubtedly bracket it into a sociology theory irrelevant to our day-to-day lives.
The events of 2020/21 have never taken this so much further away from the truth . . .
Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in 1943 through his “Theory of Human Motivation.” His theory was presented through a pyramid that suggested that people are motivated by fulfilling their basic needs before moving on to their other, more advanced needs.
2020/21 has been wreaking havoc with our lower, most critical needs, destroying so many of our needs to be safe; our jobs, financial security, even our homes. Conditions many of us have taken for granted for much of our lives are now being torn apart.
Our futures’ uncertainty holds pressure on so many of our physiological needs, not to mention how being forced to separate from our loved one's impacts our sense of belonging.
Even for those lucky enough to have somewhere to live & food on the table, how can our safety needs be met in the middle of a global pandemic with a direct threat to our own & our families' mental & physical health.
It is now time to take stock . . . realise the strength we are all using day in day out to fight through these difficult times, those days, hours, minutes you are struggling to feel whole & productive, to stay positive or even just generally feel ok, let alone self-actualised.
It’s time to show yourself compassion as you fight every day to build & protect your pyramid on an extremely shaky foundation.
Be kind to yourself is a great starting point. Often our self talk can be the most destructive.
ReplyDelete