'Are You Depressed Or Do You Just Need Some Chicken?' — 4 Things To Ask Yourself Before Spiraling
These four things can help us check in with ourselves and deal with having negative thoughts or emotions.
@anania00 / @zairell777 / @lacyhartselle / TikTok It can be hard to pinpoint why we are feeling certain negative emotions at different points either during the day or week, but a few TikTok creators explained how we can take a step back and analyze our feelings.
In a video, TikTok content creator @anania00 told their followers that after eating, all of the depressive thoughts they were having before had simply gone away. Many people were quick to agree, while other content creators were able to put a name to that phenomenon.
There are four things we should ask ourselves before beginning to spiral.
"Let's consider though, I'm not a b---h and I'm just hungry at this moment, you know what I mean?" Anania began in their video. "Then we might be able to start our healing journey as a unit because I haven't thought about suicide in the past 20 minutes, and I just had a 3-piece from Popeye's. There's a correlation here, is all I'm saying."
While Anania's initial video was meant to be humorous, it sparked a conversation about how many of our negative emotions are often tied to simple issues that can solved — i.e., eating.
In a video stitching Anania's original clip, another content creator, @zairell777, pointed out that there is a way we can look within ourselves to stop our emotions from spiraling.
"This person is spot f---ing on," she said of Anania's revelation that they felt better after having a meal. She explained that it's part of a DBT skill that she had learned and was called HALT, an acronym for Hunger, Anger, Lonely, and Tired.
"If you're feeling anything negative, if you feel any negative emotions [or] you're having some negative thought patterns, run down the list and then act accordingly," she continued. "Were you suicidal or did you just need some chicken?"
She acknowledged that while that's not the case all the time, for many occurrences, being in a negative headspace can easily be solved by eating. The phenomenon, also called being "hangry," isn't an irrational feeling to have.
According to findings published in the peer-reviewed journal Plos One, data showed that hunger was associated with 37% of changes in irritability, 34% in anger, and 38% in pleasure, which suggested the emotions were caused by fluctuations in hunger. Researchers suggested low blood glucose levels could be triggering irritability, or people could be annoyed or irritated quicker than usual when hungry.
In another video, TikTok creator Lacy expanded on how we can use HALT to check in with ourselves if we feel our emotions spiraling.
"This is a good way to assess yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed or vulnerable and your thoughts are starting to spiral," Lacy said of the acronym. "Do I need to express some feelings here? Am I lonely? Do I need to phone a friend or at least journal to myself?"
Lacy explained that HALT can help us catch ourselves before we turn our negative emotions and thoughts onto another person. "Am I Hungry? Am I Angry? Am I Lonely? Am I Tired? Do I need to address these things?"
"After you take action to meet your own needs and to check in with yourself, you can function from a more clear-headed and balanced space," Lacy remarked.
In the comments section, many people agreed with being able to use 'HALT' to assess their emotions.
"For about a week I was tracking my mood as part of a challenge from another app. Realized I started spiraling around 2:30 most days. Just needed food," one TikTok user pointed out.
Another user added, "This has been such a powerful tool during my healing from depression and anxiety. Don’t disregard this, people, it’s so true!"
"I’ve told a lot of people since my therapist told me about this too, it’s really helpful because a lot of us don’t know when we’re hungry or tired," a third user chimed in.
Being able to practice self-awareness, stress management techniques, and finding healthy ways to cope with negative emotions can be extremely beneficial for our overall well-being and emotional care.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, know you are not alone. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Suicide Crisis Line at 1-800-784-2433.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.