THE HOMEOSTASIS (HIGH FUNCTIONING BALANCE) CHECKLIST 
WHENEVER YOU'RE "OFF", FIND OUT WHY



This is a detailed checklist, followed by

    a "reason for my outness" chart and also by
    the outness indicatorys (short term and long term, including physical measures.

Keep using this checklist, every day if you can, until you are doing what works for assuring homeostasis and your functioning well in life.  You have an opportunity here to transform your life!!!
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THE CHECKLIST

Except in a true emergency, one should not tolerate oneself operating in a dysfunctional, damaging or less than optimal functioning mode.  It lowers net energy, the body becomes less capable and more disease prone (which further lowers energy), it uses energy and diverts it from critical functions, you don't think well - and it doesn't feel good.

Although this checklist can be used to get oneself back into balance in the first place, the primary use might be to see what you did to create the out-of-balance state and into a  'negative spiraling' - and then, as soon as possible, to get oneself back into homeostasis, balance, a High State Of Resourcefulness.  Check off which of these are "out" or "off" and then get them back into "the zone" of effectiveness.  If something is "off", you could use the search engine to find what to do to correct the "offness".

__ Not grounding for the day (Grounding Myself)

__ Not following my daily routine/plan that was set up to keep this in place. 
       Examples re routines:  1   2. 
   __ Didn't do the periodic breaks required to restore good functioning(!)
       __ Didn't use the periodic alarms! (See The Great Time Tool.)

__ Diet off (__ sugar imbalance, __ not regular eating, __ not eating complex carbs &
    protein)

__ Rest is "off" (__ let self be tired, didn't use under-20- minute naps to refresh;
    __ irregular hours;   
    __ let mind continue or failed to implement "going deeper" (writing it down, etc.)
         strategy; __ didn't follow the rules per the sleep checklist; __ allowed myself to
         get exhausted, didn't do anti-exhaustion practices)

__ Not exercising sufficiently
 
__ Took mind altering substances (other than doctor supervised; alcohol, sugar, excess
    caffeine/stimulants)

__ Didn't do The Pause (__ didn't do Time Out Tool)
    __ Not do short meditations, at least
    __ Rushed, needlessly as there was no true emergency (Pause, Pace, Plan)

__ Not regulating breathing, not returning to rhythmic, smooth, deep slow breaths, not
   belly breathing 

__ Not do thought stopping 
    __ Did not stop anger, or its cousins, as soon as I noticed it
    __ Did not have a ready, effective answer for a particular obsessive thought
         sequence 
    __ Continuing to make withdrawals and/or failing to make Deposits To Your
         Emotional Bank Account

__ Self-reinforcement and kindness to self is turned to "off"
    ___ Did not do enough self-soothing, nurturing to keep tank full     

__ There is something undone (or done wrongly) that I really got on myself about

__ Did not accept my being "off" (i.e. criticized it rather than just accepted it as part of
    being human; did not just stay in the conversation of solving it)



My strongest reason for "outness" was:

Physical:  __ Diet; __ Rest; __ Stress allowed (not breathing, not pausing;
             __ Exercise, movement

Psychological:  __Not grounded;  __ Self criticism, being ungrounded; ___ Allowing obsessive thoughts to continue; ___ Allowed a "negative" behavior to continue and got caught up in it.

General:  __ Allowed outness to continue too long

What I will do about this, to get myself back to homeostasis (list the actions/behaviors first, then number them in the order you will do them):



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KNOW THE INDICATORS (RESULTS)

Tension, tiredness, and poor breathing are sure indicators "in the now".  But there are definite, directly measurable indicators to keep in a narrow range and to not allow to deteriorate.   Do not tolerate these being outside this range:  (See complete measures recommended in Physical Goals Monitoring Sheet.)

Achieved
                                                 Below                         Above

   __         Blood pressure:              120/80. 
   __         Weight:                        BMI of 23                       18.5
   __         Fasting blood sugar         100
   __         HDL cholesterol                                                  45
   __         LDL cholesterol               130 (better 100)
   __         Pushups                                                           20 (better would be 40!)    
   __         Comfortable mile             12 min. (better 10)
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It is not just the years of life, it is the life in the years!   With today's modern medicine, they can put off death a bit, though you'll lose some years from violating the above - but the quality of those years won't be as good (though you'll be alive you'll lose years of feeling good).   ___________________________________________________________________

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Note:

If you're going to the effort of looking at what is on this site, you're a basically good intentioned, progressive person.  As a human, you become "off" where primitive survival strategies are having you behave or react dysfunctionally.  You are not "bad" (or whatever negative label), you are merely employing the wrong strategies and have to get back to using the effective, workable strategies.