Mental State and Functioning

Raise your hand if you've ever eaten food off the floor or couch because the effort it would take to put it in the trash felt far more burdensome than the effort to simply put it down the mouth hatch 🙋

Sigh. Making good decisions when you are:

Tired

Hungry

Lonely

Angry (yes my AA folks I see you putting the HALT together)

In loss and grief

In a change or transition

Anxious

Depressed

Stressed the f out

Over stimulated

Under stimulated

Dealing with oppression

Battling pain (chronic or not)

Etc etc.

We don't make our decisions simply from some clear moral center in our brains. We make our decisions from the contexts that are putting us into different mental states.

The more support and resources a person has the higher their capacity to learn how to take care of themselves, their loved ones and the greater community.

This is true for me. And all the adults I've ever met.

This is even more true for children whose brains are not even fully formed yet.

When a kid or a grownup is making poor choices, remember to see them in the context of their past and present. Remember to offer them (and yourself) compassion based on their context and understanding as a fellow human on this wild unpredictable, and sometimes painful ride.

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