Safety and Security - A Vital Emotional Need | Human Givens

Transcript

hey my name's Lee pinecraft I'm a human givin psychotherapist and today I want to share with you the importance of meeting the emotional need for safety and security to help yourself feel more emotionally balanced and how you can meet this need no matter what changes are occurring in your life the human Givens approach is a practical solution focus therapy the bases itself on the premise that if you meet your emotional needs and balance then you will be mentally well and using your innate natural resources to help you get those needs met - on the human Givens website you can download an emotional needs audit to check your own emotional needs and to see where you may need to put more focus the drive to meet this need for safety and security is indeed the drive for survival if you think back to primitive times if we can have shelter we may not survive the night so this is amongst our most primitive and basic emotional needs when we can meet this need in some kind of balance it will also help us free up spare emotional capacity or what you might call headspace in order to fully thrive in all areas of our life rather than just simply survive if you're in a situation where maybe you are worried about your health you're in an environment where you don't feel safe in the area you live or you're in a work environment where you don't feel secure or you've got financial instability maybe in a relationship where you feel unsafe or under threat these are all things that can compromise the need for safety and security when we have a prolonged sense of uncertainty like that it can bring about excessive worrying or anxiety so we need to find ways that we can meet this needs that are accessible and simple so that whatever change happens in our life we can start to adapt to it more easily if your need for safety and security has been compromised then it's quite common to feel in a highly aroused emotional state and when we're in that state it can make clear thinking very difficult because we go to catastrophic black-and-white thinking and that doesn't enable us to have a broader perspective on what's happening so the first thing I would suggest in terms of practical terms to help yourself meet the need for safety security to learn some relaxation techniques to help bring down that emotional arousal so you can think more clearly and feel calmer when you feel calm we tend to be able to feel more grounded and safe and secure number two consider putting some routines and rituals in place and also feel a little more safe and secure we like to have an idea of what's gonna happen next and so creating some routines that take place at a certain time and age week can help meet that need these routines might be around Fitness it might be around cooking it might be around sleeping regimes look at what's worked for you in the past and what has helped you feel more safe and secure and use some of that past experience and apply it now to the routines you create today number three look at the areas of your life what you do feel safe and secure because while this need may be compromised in certain areas of your life it doesn't necessarily mean it's been compromised in every area of your life but when we are in the emotional brain or worrying about something it's very easy to slip into thinking that this is being compromised and impacting every area so taking solace in the fact that maybe it's only certain areas that you don't feel safe but there are still areas available to you do you do feel safe and secure can help you focus more on those and less on the areas that you don't feel safe in number four use the power of your imagination to create a safe space now I know this may sound a little strange but there may have been a time in the past where you felt particularly secure and safe if so when was that time where were you what did you see what did you hear what did you experience in your body use that memory and conjure up that feeling imagination now and this can really help bring you back to that place and help you feel that sense of calm and safety and security in the present moment I hope you found those tips helpful and it gave you some insights and how you might meet your need for safety and security moving forwards please leave a comment or let us know what you thought and I'll see you again soon