Sleep, food and mental health
Growing up I was taught to analyze my behaviour or mood. I would spend long hours discussing with my mother, how we feel, our opinion about certain behaviours, and the root cause for things, or to acknowledge certain aspects of our personalities or feelings. It was vital for my mother that not only we were fed and clothed but also, if not more important, how we were feeling. Being aware of the importance of our mood and how it could cloud our judgment, was something I appreciate in my upbringing and I would want to pass it on to my children. One very important thing my mother taught us was to try to check if a certain issue, that upsets us, is worth it or it is because of other factors, such as lack of sleep, hunger, or another side issue (such as PMS for girls). Whenever she sees one of her teenagers flame up in anger she would ask, “when is the last time you had a meal?”. As irrelevant it might seem, it would soon be clear once we eat 
I still apply my mother’s check list and when I am hungry I would not discuss major things or make major decisions until the blood returns back to my brain. And when I see my son prancing across the room, I go through his own check list two.
