Sometimes I have to check in on myself like I might a crying baby; I start by feeling generally bad. Okay, what’s the issue? Am I hungry? Have I had enough water? Do I need a nap? Do I need to get up and stretch? Am I just feeling anxious? (That last one, if true, starts another barrage of questions.)

Surprisingly not so much… Mostly.

For me at least the hunger thing has a known origin, I had so much food scarcity as a kid and into my mid 20s that hunger is more of a suggestion than something that dominates my mind.

Hell it took years before it was more than just the occasional blip of “you should probably eat” that would quickly pass.

Now if I found a new hyper obsession, then I might forget to breathe (not a joke).

This is me and it is very annoying.

I get a strong negative feeling. Ok, what was that about? Crickets and a strong negative feeling…

I can get a vague sense of “something is wrong” and no amount of querying my own body will make it clearer. I have to find out in a more deliberate way (could I be hungry? How long has it been since I last ate?)

I can wake up, and go 10+ hours without meeting/requiring a single human need, but as soon as I then acknowledge that I should be doing those, all the sensations hit me at once.

Nothing quite like having to prioritise all base needs at once!