HALTS - a brief check in tool

Everyone experiences fluctuations in their mood and functioning, regardless of whether they struggle with mental illness or not. Understanding what may be triggering these fluctuations can sometimes give us insight into how to adjust our thinking or behaviour in order to feel a bit better. 

It has most often been used in substance use recovery as a guideline for people to identify the warning signs of a relapse. However, HALTS is a quick tool I often share with all clients, regardless of their presenting diagnosis, in order to build awareness about factors that may be contributing to a change in our mood.

HALTS is an acronym (which I’ll explain below), but also a reminder to ‘halt’ or take a pause when we’re feeling off – to spend a few moments being mindful of our internal world (asking ‘what’s going on for me right now?) and also our external world; our actions, routines and behaviours.

H – stands for hungry

There’s evidence to suggest to low blood sugar levels produces the same symptoms that anxiety does. That’s because when our blood sugar drops, our body produces a stress hormone (adrenaline). Colloquially, we may experience this as ‘hangry’. Feelings of hunger are usually our body’s signal that we need to eat*. Eating regularly (ideally three balanced meals spaced throughout the day) can assist us in managing our mood and anxiety symptoms. Making sure we’re well nourished before stressful events (such as exams, important meetings, or a job interview) can help not exacerbate natural stress responses and give our brain the critical fuel it needs to function properly. 

*However, these signals may be more complicated if you have a history of disordered eating)

A – stands for angry

There’s nothing wrong with feeling angry (see my other blogs about the importance of not labelling feelings as ‘good’ or ‘bad’), but strong feelings of anger can similarly induce release of stress hormones triggering a ‘fight/flight/freeze’ response. Often when we’re in this mode, we’re possibly going to have a short fuse, feel frustrated by small inconveniences, find it hard to concentrate, be more agitated and maybe say or do things we don’t mean. Feelings of anger may be a sign that we’re feeling overwhelmed and need to take a break, or perhaps that something has disrupted our individual boundaries and we need to communicate this. 

L – stands for lonely

Humans are wired for connection. Loneliness can sometimes be hard to notice, particularly if you’re quite busy. Sometimes we may even feel like we’ve had lots of time around other people, but we forget to check in whether we are feeling loved by and connected to those people. Feelings of loneliness are an internal sign to connect! Connection (to friends, family, even pets!) is an important way to manage and prevent mood deterioration. 

T – stands for tired 

Whilst low energy and fatigue are a symptom of mental ill-health, they can equally be a contributor. Tiredness can encapsulate both physical exhaustion, but also emotional or mental exhaustion. Tiredness is a signal to rest, relax and refresh. This may be just for a few minutes (such as taking a few deep breaths whilst you sit at your desk, or eating lunch outside), or few hours (such as planning a quiet Saturday, or going to a yoga class, or going to be a bit earlier), or a few days (such as booking some annual leave, or going on a holiday). I often remind clients that what relaxes us is very individual! Build your own list of ways that relax and refresh you and help reduce physical, emotional, or mental tiredness. Similarly, simply not doing anything is not always relaxing. Many of us can spend hours not doing anything, but we may not be recharging. We may simply be escaping, avoiding, or procrastinating – and thereby not fully reducing tiredness. 

S – stands for stressed (or sick, or substances)

Stress can be acute or chronic. Most of us are very good at recognising acute stress – a typically shorter period of intense stress for example; a car accident, an exam period, a performance review, conflict with a loved one, a period of illness, a move in house. However, stress can also be chronic – often longer periods of less ‘intense’ but still impactful stress. Chronic stress can sometimes be hard to acknowledge, partly because the human body is so good at adapting! Like the frog in the boiling pot of water – we may not notice the way chronic stress builds up in the body. Chronic stress may look like relationship tension, financial insecurity, a global pandemic, or constant work pressure. 

S can also stand for sick – are you feeling unwell? Is there a health condition that we may be not treating properly? Some self-compassion during or after periods of physical sickness can assist with good mental health.

S can also stand for substances. Substances of any and every type play often a significant role in our mental and emotional functioning. Consumption of ‘every day’ substances such as sugar and caffeine can contribute to mood fluctuations (even if it can be hard to acknowledge it!). Other legal substances, prescription or otherwise, are also associated with mood changes (such as alcohol, nicotine, benzodiazepines, or pain relief such as opioids). Illicit substances may also be impacting your mood, sometimes even days, weeks, or months after you’ve stopped using. Ceasing use of these may not be part of your treatment goals, but thinking about your substance use and how it may be impacting you can he helpful.