Check Your Need Bars: A Sims-Inspired Guide to Self-Reflection

Sim Rosie!

If you’ve ever played The Sims, you know the little green diamond (or plumbob according to google, did anyone know it was called that? Or am I the only one clueless?) above your Sim’s head is just the tip of the iceberg. Below it, there’s a panel of “need bars” — hunger, energy, social, hygiene, fun, and so on. Neglect one, and your Sim starts acting… not great... They burn dinner, fall asleep on the kitchen floor, or yell at the neighbor for no reason.

The funny thing is, humans work in much the same way, only our need bars are invisible.

The Hidden Dashboard We All Carry

In real life, we don’t have colourful bars telling us our “fun” level is at 10% or our “energy” bar is flashing red. Instead, we have subtler cues.. feeling irritable, zoning out in meetings, craving junk food, or finding it strangely difficult to answer a text from a friend.

These feelings aren’t random. Often, they’re our body and mind’s way of saying one of your needs is low.

Anxiety as a Low-Need Alert

Think about anxiety. It’s easy to treat it like an enemy to be eliminated, but sometimes, it’s more like the blinking red light on a car dashboard. Maybe your “security” bar is low because you’re worried about money. Maybe your “connection” bar is low because you haven’t had a meaningful conversation in days. Or maybe your “rest” bar is in the negatives because you’ve been pushing through without proper breaks.

I often talk about how emotions and bodily reactions are our brain's way of communicating with us. When we reframe emotions as possible indicators of unmet needs, they become less mysterious and more manageable.

How to Check Your Need Bars in Real Life

You might not have a literal need panel, but you can create your own check-in:

• Energy: Am I sleeping enough? Eating nourishing foods? Moving my body?

• Connection: When’s the last time I spent unhurried time with someone I care about?

• Fun: Have I done something purely because it brings me joy?

• Purpose: Do I feel like I’m working toward something meaningful?

• Calm: Have I had quiet moments without screens, noise, or constant input?

If one of these “bars” feels low, don’t wait until it’s in the red. Topping it up as soon as you notice like a nap, a walk, a call to a friend can prevent bigger emotional meltdowns later.

You Can’t Keep All Bars Maxed Out All the Time

Here’s the truth, even in The Sims, you can’t have every bar at 100% forever. Life is a moving balance, not a static state. Some days your social bar will dip so you can focus on your energy bar. Some weeks your fun bar will be high while your hygiene bar (laundry pile, anyone?) suffers. That’s okay, the goal is awareness, not perfection.

The Green Diamond Is Yours to Protect

In The Sims, that little green diamond signals a Sim is active, living their life, and under your care. In reality, you are both the Sim and the player. You can notice your own signals, check in on your invisible need bars, and decide what to top up next.

So, next time you feel “off,” instead of pushing through, ask yourself "Which of my bars is low right now? And what’s one small thing I can do to refill it?"

Sometimes, the simplest way to feel better isn’t to overhaul your life, it’s just to feed your Sim.