Learning to Read Your Internal Thermometer
Identifying times when you are becoming overwhelmed - whether in the moment or in overall life is essential. Just like we take a temperature as a vital sign in assessing a patient, we can also use the concept to assess our wellness. Awareness is the first step to change.
One helpful tool is the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). Picture a thermometer ranging from 0 to 10. We touched on this in the previous post, but let’s go a little deeper.
• 0 represents complete calm: a moment when your body and mind felt fully at ease.
• 10 represents the most intense stress or anxiety you’ve experienced.
Filling in the numbers between with real examples helps you understand your personal range.
Now imagine that same thermometer extending into the negatives. Many of us have had days when getting out of bed or stepping into the shower felt impossible—when everything felt heavy or pointless. These moments can be thought of as –1 to –10.
Next, consider where you function best. In certain calls or high‑stakes situations, we need to be at a 7 or 8 can actually help us move quickly and make critical decisions. But we can’t live there. Just like weather changes over a 24‑hour cycle, our internal “temperature” naturally rises and falls. We aren’t meant to stay at one fixed level. Yet in frontline and healthcare work, many of us find ourselves hovering either near a –10 or +10 far more often than we realize.
Caseloads are a real challenge—but sometimes the workload becomes a distraction technique. Traumatic experiences can shift our sense of safety in our bodies and emotions. Staying late, picking up extra shifts, skipping breaks—these may be distracting ourselves from dealing with the unprocessed emotions. Other common distractions include overeating, overexercising, excessive screen time, or anything that started as a healthy outlet but has quietly become a way to numb.
Distraction has its place. Not everything can—or should—be processed in the moment, especially in the workplace. But when too much accumulates, it becomes unmanageable. Think of emotions like a processing plant: material can be held for a while, but if nothing moves through, things eventually back up… and yes, they start to smell.
So don’t let things pile up until they get “smelly.”
Start processing things a little at a time. Taking things in small, intentional steps helps ease the overwhelm. This week, I invite you to look closely at two of your current habits—whether it’s screen use, extra work, or even a hobby—and explore the real reasons you’re turning to them. Examine this more than once and then determine if you need or want to change something.
In strength and courage,
Michelle
About the Author
Michelle Teskey is a registered social worker, trauma‑informed therapist, and former paramedic with more than twenty years in healthcare. She provides mental health therapy for responders and healthcare professionals through Root & Renew and welcomes individuals seeking evidence‑informed clinical care. Contact