THE EMOTIONAL NEEDS AUDIT

How well are your innate emotional needs being met?

Nature has programmed all of us with physical and emotional needs. These are the `human givens' that cannot be avoided. How stressed we are depends on how well our needs are being met, and how well we deal with the situation when they are not. Rate, in your judgement, how well the following emotional needs are being met in your life now.

	Do you feel secure in all major areas of your life ? (such as your home, work, environment)
	Do you feel you receive enough attention ?
	Do you think you give other people enough attention ?
	Do you feel in control of your life most of the time ?
	Do you feel connected to some part of a wider community ?
	Can you obtain privacy when you need to ?
	Do you feel an emotional connection to others ? For instance, do you have an intimate relationship in your life, one where you are totally physically and emotionally accepted for who you are by the least one person (this could be a close friend) ?
	Do you feel you have status that is acknowledged ?
	Are you achieving things and feeling competent in at least one major area of your life ?
	Are you being mentally and/or physically stretched in ways which give you a sense that life is meaningful ?

• If your scores are mostly low, you are more likely to be suffering stress symptoms.
• If any need is scored 3 or less this is likely to be a major stressor for you.
• Even if only one need is marked very low it can be enough of a problem to seriously effect your mental and emotional stability.

Stress, anxiety, anger, depression and addiction are the result of our innate needs not being met,either due to environmental factors, harmful conditioning or a misuse of imagination (worrying). People do not have mental health problems when their innate needs are being met in balanced,healthy ways. By highlighting areas in your life where your essential needs aren't being met aswell as they could be, you can use this questionnaire to help you think constructively abouthow your life could be improved.