It's been said that the human experience has a set of Needs that's universal to all of us. And the measure we use to determine whether those needs are going met or unmet are our emotions (which we label as Feelings).
At the bottom of the page, I've placed a list of needs and feelings categories (special thanks to the Center for Nonviolent Communication [CNVC], where the lists originated); maybe you'll find the lists helpful, but there's a little bit more to the puzzle that I'd like to share about:
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Basically, there are seven categories of Needs:
Physical Well-Being
Play
Autonomy
Connection
Honest
Peace
Meaning
CNVC's work states that a person uses four steps to determine Need fulfilment/attainment:
Observation: "When ____ happened ..."
Feelings: "...I felt ____ ..."
Needs: "...because my need for _____ went [met/unmet]."
Request: "Would you be open to [considering ____ action] next time?"
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At the following SoundCloud page, you'll find interviews with people who tell stories of times various needs went met or unmet. Through listening to the stories, hopefully you'll begin (a) thinking of your day through the lens of the seven Needs, and (b) processing exchanges (whether with yourself, or with others) through the "Observation - Feelings - Needs - Request" lens.
When I work the system and check in with myself in this way, my anxiety decreases, and I make choices from a place of peace; in sharing this information with you, I hope it helps you similarly (if you're open to that sort of thing 😉).
Whether it's by (a) clicking on the link, (b) using the information that appears below, (c) sharing a story with me, or (d) helping me figure out how to keep moving forward with this project in a way that allows me to keep a roof over my head and food on the table, "I look forward to collaborating with you!"
Mister D. Watson
needs-inventory.pdfnvc-feelingslist.pdf