Robert Sanders, NLP Practitioner, Life Coach and Timeline Therapist at Vinings, writes:

In my previous article, Are you aware of your needs , I wrote about the nine basic human needs, suggested in the Human Givens approach. Fulfilling these needs could be the key to improving our well-being and mental health.

When you are suffering from issues such as depression, anxiety or generally experiencing low mood and having trouble coping with life, paying more attention to these needs, even slightly, can lead to greater happiness.

The need to give and receive attention.

In this article I am focussing on the first of these needs – the need to ‘give and receive attention’.

If you have ever had a small child, you will know all about the need to receive attention. As very small children, getting the attention of others is a key to survival and self-development. When you think about it, without the attention of a parent or family member, a child would not be able to get the food and care it needs. Equally the child would not learn language or develop other basic tools for future independence.

Robert Sanders, NLP Practitioner, Timeline Therapist and Life Coach at Vinings, talks about “needs” – at every level:

We all know that our bodies need certain things to maintain them. Without food, water, air and sleep we would very soon be in serious trouble, and ultimately die. These needs are so vital, that when we don’t fulfill them correctly, our bodies and our unconscious minds let us know in very clear ways:

• Your stomach rumbles when you are hungry;
• Your mouth feels parched when you are thirsty;
• If you run out of air, you gasp for breath;
• If you lack sleep, you may literally fall unconscious or even experience strange effects such as hallucinations.

In a similar way, it is widely agreed, there are certain basic psychological needs, which have developed in human beings universally, which if not fulfilled to a certain degree, will result in psychological problems – for example anger, sadness, anxiety or depression.