HALT is terrible for neurodivergents

how I fix bad vibes instead

So it turns out in order to take care of yourself, you need to know how you feel.

But in order to know how you feel, you need to tune into your body.

But what if you can’t really feel your body? What if the signal is too soft? Or mixed in with a bunch of other signals?

How the hell are you supposed to soothe yourself before becoming overwhelmed?!

What is interoception?

Interoception is your internal awareness system. It helps you understand your body's sensations, like temperature, hunger, and fatigue.

It's how your body communicates with your mind about its needs and conditions.

This allows you to regulate bodily functions and responses appropriately. Like drinking water when you're thirsty or eating when you're hungry.

This means good interoceptive awareness is crucial for well-being. To take care of yourself? You need to be able to understand and interpret sensations correctly.

But interoceptive awareness is off in many neurodivergent people.

My poor interoception confuses me

Internal cues are super fuzzy for me. I often miss them and only notice things once are urgent.

For example:

Hunger: I feel tired, panicked, sad or nauseous. But never “hungry in my tummy”.

Hot: I feel drained, fatigued, irritable or spaced out. But never “my skin feels hot”.

Thirst: I have a dry mouth, and drinking a glass of water makes me want to drink more. But never “I feel thirsty”.

Toilet: I feel like I'm busting to pee. But rarely notice the buildup of needing to go

Migraine: Migraine attacks build over several days before the headache kicks in. So sometimes I think I'm tired when I'm actually in the prodrome phase of an attack

Boredom: I feel lost, restless, grumpy and painfully tense. But didn’t realise it was understimulation due to undiagnosed ADHD.

The problem with HALT

The oft-suggested solution to poor interoception is the acronym HALT.

It stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.

But for me, it's not that simple. Sometimes I think I'm angry, but I'm just overstimulated by the noise around me.

Or maybe I think I’m lonely, but I’m just painfully bored and understimulated.

And emotions are stories our brains tell us based on how our bodies feel anyway. If I can't accurately interpret my bodily signals, emotions become unreliable guides.

To effectively triage and treat neurodivergent overwhelm? I created the 5T method.

5T: an alternative to HALT

5T stands for Temperature, Toilet, Table, Time Out, and Treat.

When I'm feeling bad but can't figure out why? I go through each step one after the other to help identify and soothe pain points.

1. TEMPERATURE

   Am I too hot or cold? What is the weather like at the moment? Is it a hot sunny day? Or cold and rainy? What are the people around me wearing? If I suspect I'm too hot, I remove a layer of clothing. Or add a layer of clothing if I suspect I'm cold. Sometimes I even ask my partner to feel my skin so I can adjust accordingly.

2. TOILET

   Do I need to pee or poop? Go just in case.

3. TABLE

   Am I hungry or thirsty? Slowly sip a glass of water & eat a plain snack like some crackers, a piece of cheese or some nuts.

4. TIME OUT

   Am I overstimulated? Rest in a quiet dark room for 20 minutes.

5. TREAT

   Am I sick or in pain? Maybe I need to take a painkiller or ask someone for help.

By going through each step, every single sense that could go haywire is covered. I don’t have to interpret my emotions, I just have to take care of my body.

And it usually helps a lot.

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“Restful isn’t just an app to me. It’s a sanctuary in my pocket.” Steph

The Restful app is a library of meditones® to help you feel calm and restful without having to do a thing. Made by & for neurodivergents!