01/30/2019
H A L T
H: Hungry - 25%
A: Angry - 25%
L: Lonely - 25%
T: Tired - 25%
This acronym speaks to one of four physical or emotional conditions that can affect a person’s
ability to cope and leaves them vulnerable to relapse back to old unhealthy behaviours they
have been trying to change. This acronym is common among AA members and 12 step groups.
This tool is used as a short method to help people pay attention to their emotional and physical
needs. As a therapist, I’ve heard people say, “I don’t know what happened, I was doing great
and them ‘bam’. I found myself doing __________ whatever their old behaviour was that they
are working on changing. Some people say that they are self-sabotaging. I suggest that people
pay attention to their H.A.L.T. before they label themselves self-saboteurs.
If you skip a meal your coping ability goes down 25%. If you slept poorly your coping ability is
down 25%. Combine the 2 - hungry and tired and a person has a 50-50 chance of making a
good or poor decision. This will be a real challenge if temptation presents itself. How many of
us can resist our favourite sweet treat when we are hungry and tired?
Additionally if you have had a negative encounter with a family member, spouse, or friend and are rethinking the incident over and over - there goes another 25%. Our feelings are there to guide us; tell us nformation about ourselves; help us take good care of us. However, our feelings are not there to rule us. This is a delicate balance of paying attention to how we feel so we can validate
ourselves but not allow our emotions to control us and take over our decision making ability.
If you do not know how to manage your anger - you are not alone. Often our anger comes out in unhealthy ways – such as turning it on ourselves or others. This shows up when we hear people engage in name calling, criticizing, belittling, or physically harming ourselves or others.
How do we handle our anger in a healthy way? First you may want to take a time out and think about what is going on. Journaling about what happened can help bring clarity. Sometimes getting some physical activity can help expel any negative energy that may be building up and allow you to process. Sometimes the issue could be an unmet relational need; it could be that you have fallen into an irrational thought process. (More to come on irrational thoughts and relational needs.) Typically anger can be alleviated by asking directly for what we need or
making a request (using "I" statements) and then be willing to negotiate a solution that works for both people
involved. It could also be that we are in an unhealthy situation and compromise is unrealistic. Then we may need to put some space between us and the person causing the anger.
If you have tried these techniques or other suggestions and are still experiencing difficulties with anger you may need professional help.
Lonely: The third letter of HALT is lonely, humans are social creatures – we need to get out and
about and socialize. This is true even if you are an introvert. Introverts may need less social
time and they may need more time to recharge their batteries after they have had social time.
None the less, we all need some social time – it helps us feel connected with others. Many of
us tend to isolate when we are experiencing problems. Some of us have difficulty reaching out
and this can lead to isolation, depression and other problems. If this is an area where you
struggle, I recommend you seek professional help – remember that it is confidential.
If you find yourself down 25% or more, you will want to increase your self-care and be mindful
that you are vulnerable. Perhaps you will take less on until you get back to 100%. I wish
everyone success in using this acronym. Should you have any questions or comments please
feel free to contact me at lagribbon@gmail.com.
Lou-Anne is a registered psychotherapist with offices in Waterdown and Hamilton. Check out
her website at www.hopeinmotioncounselling.com
