A soft reminder on how checking in with ourselves in these four categories can keep us feeling regulated
Colleen Richards, Advanced Clinical Fellow
HALT is an acronym that can be used in recovery from addiction. It can be used when you're feeling off for any reason. Maybe you're practicing inner child work. Perhaps you're trying to avoid falling into old coping patterns such as relying on an after-work cocktail hour or overeating. It may be helpful to become familiar with HALT.
It stands for: Hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. Think of them as the easily overlooked parts of yourself that emerge to bring you closer to your needs in a given situation. By tending to them first, you find a healthier, more balanced way to cope. You can experience any combination of these.
Hunger: If you're hungry and don't realize it, you may have low blood sugar. When it spikes, you can be anxious and jittery. When it crashes, you may be in a state of craving.
How to help: Be mindful of eating more frequently. Eating small meals throughout the day may keep our blood levels balanced. We may focus better, be calmer, and be less inclined to indulge in substances. This is often seen in early recovery. Lower glycemic foods may benefit those who are in early recovery. Because of vitamin depletion, you may want to be snacking on something every few hours, especially in early recovery. Alcohol has a significant impact on our blood sugar.
Anger: How can we healthily address anger? If you're feeling uncomfortable, have taken care of the hunger, and are still angry, journaling can be a release immediately. Calling a friend or therapist might also help. If you're in a program, you could call your sponsor. If you're a spiritual person, prayer or EFT can be helpful (see the blog post on: An Intro to Tapping by Ilana Friedman); it acts as an emotional acupressure that helps calm down your limbic system to process that anger.
Loneliness: This may be missing the presence of a person or human connection. In this state, I encourage you to pick up the phone and call a friend and leave a message if they don't pick up so they can get back to you. If you're in a recovery program, reach out for a meeting online or in person. Sometimes when we feel lonely, it may help in the short term to go for a walk outside or go to a coffee shop to be around people.
Tired: This might seem obvious, but a good night's sleep is your body's primary way of regulating specific stressors. This is helpful to remember for those of us in therapy. Exploring new memories and emotions can affect our bodies need for rest. In recovery, you can deal with acute withdrawal symptoms for different amounts of time based on your physiology. Rest is essential in this period, too, so check- in on your caffeine intake and replace it with something like an herbal tea later in the day.
This is a recovery concept, really considering. These simple tips can help in early recovery or with any habit you are trying to break and in establishing new coping skills. Think of these as your beginner tools in building the foundation. If you are struggling with addiction, outpatient programs such as Mountainside Recovery offer kind and patient-centered approaches to outpatient care for those struggling with substance misuse.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.