1. The Mental Flashlight (Attention Choice)
Core principle: You can choose where to point your attention, even when you can’t control what’s happening to you.
Why it’s #1: This is the gateway to all other mental skills. Without the ability to direct your attention consciously, you’re at the mercy of whatever captures your mind - worries, distractions, other people’s emotions, or automatic thought patterns.
Basic practice: When you notice your mind stuck on something unhelpful, consciously redirect: “Where do I want to point my flashlight right now?”
Alternative names: Mental Spotlight, Attention Remote Control, Mind Steering Wheel
The Core Three: Foundation for Mental Health
2. Little Clouds vs Big Storms (Feeling Size Assessment)
Core principle: Different emotional experiences need different responses. Small discomforts can be sat with and learned from; overwhelming feelings need gentle care until they pass.
Why it’s critical: Prevents both dangerous under-response (ignoring genuine crises) and exhausting over-response (treating normal discomfort like emergencies).
Basic practice: “Is this a Little Cloud I can sit with, or a Big Storm that needs gentle care?”
Alternative names: Weather Check, Storm Scale, Feeling Thermometer
3. Mental Energy Battery (Resource Awareness)
Core principle: Mental energy is limited but rechargeable. Different activities drain and restore it at different rates for different people.
Why it’s essential: Prevents burnout and helps you make sustainable choices about how to spend your cognitive resources.
Basic practice: “What’s my battery level right now? What will this activity cost me? How can I recharge?”
Alternative names: Cognitive Fuel Tank, Mental Power Level, Brain Battery
The Essential Five: Core Mental Skills
4. The Thought Detective (Cognitive Awareness)
Core principle: Not every thought that pops into your head deserves to be believed. You can investigate thoughts like a detective examining evidence.
Basic practice: “Is this thought helpful? Is it actually true? What would I tell a friend having this thought?”
Alternative names: Mind Inspector, Thought Judge, Internal Fact-Checker
5. Every Mind is Precious (Neurodiversity Acceptance)
Core principle: Different minds work in different ways, and this diversity makes life richer and more interesting.
Basic practice: “How does this person’s mind work differently from mine? What can I learn from their perspective?”
Alternative names: Mind Diversity Principle, Different Brains Rule, Neurodiversity Lens
The Expanded Eight: Advanced Self-Management
6. Know Your Drain Patterns (Personal Energy Audit)
Core principle: Understanding what specifically drains your mental battery allows you to plan and protect your energy.
Basic practice: Track which activities, people, and environments cost you energy vs. which ones restore it.
Alternative names: Energy Audit, Personal Drain Map, Battery Usage Tracker
7. Values Mismatch Navigator (Working in Misaligned Systems)
Core principle: You can maintain your values and standards without needing everyone around you to share them.
Basic practice: “This system rewards X, I value Y. How can I honor Y while working effectively within their X system?”
Alternative names: Value Bridge Builder, System Adapter, Standards Keeper
8. Executive Function Support (Bridging Knowing and Doing)
Core principle: Knowing what to do and being able to do it are separate brain functions. You can build systems that bridge this gap.
Basic practice: “I know what I should do. What’s making it hard to actually do it? What system would make this automatic?”
Alternative names: Doing Bridge, Action Translator, Knowledge-to-Action Converter
9. System Awareness (Group Harmony Understanding)
Core principle: Your actions create ripples through the groups you’re part of. Understanding these systems helps you be a positive contributor.
Basic practice: “How does my choice affect the whole group? Am I creating flow or blocking?”
Alternative names: Ripple Radar, Group Flow Detector, System Scanner
10. Time Travel Balance (Past-Present-Future Attention)
Core principle: Healthy attention allocation - mostly present (50-70%), some future planning (15-25%), some past processing (10-20%), and rest (10-15%).
Basic practice: “Where is my flashlight pointed right now? Is this time travel helping or hurting?”
Alternative names: Time Attention Balance, Mental Time Travel Guide, Temporal Focus Manager
11. Evidence-Based Mind Navigation (Working with Non-Evidence-Based Minds)
Core principle: Not everyone operates from evidence-based thinking. Recognize when you’re trying to have rational discussions with people operating from identity protection or social positioning.
Basic practice: “Is this person open to changing their mind based on evidence? If not, how do I protect my energy?”
Alternative names: Rational Mind Protector, Evidence Navigator, Open Mind Detector
12. Attention Beam Management (Flashlight Settings)
Core principle: Your attention has different intensity settings (laser, spotlight, lantern, dimmer) that use energy at different rates and serve different purposes.
Basic practice: “What beam setting do I need right now? Do I need to focus intensely or rest my attention?”
Alternative names: Focus Dial, Attention Intensity Control, Mental Beam Adjuster
13. Emergency Protocols (Crisis vs Maintenance Mode)
Core principle: Know when to shift from normal functioning to emergency protocols, and how to activate appropriate support systems.
Basic practice: “Is this a crisis requiring immediate help, or maintenance mode requiring self-care strategies?”
Alternative names: Crisis Detector, Emergency Mode Activator, Help Signal System
The Routine Autopilot Builder
- How to build habits that don’t require executive function or decision-making
- Making essential tasks automatic rather than effortful
The Sensory Environment Designer
- Understanding how physical environment affects mental performance
- Creating spaces that support rather than drain your particular brain
The Social Energy Boundary Manager
- How to engage socially without depleting your mental battery
- Saying no to social demands when energy is low
The Transition Bridge
- Managing the mental effort required to switch between activities
- Reducing the friction between different parts of your day
The Interest-Energy Optimizer
- How to use your natural interests and passions to recharge mental energy
- Balancing obligation tasks with energizing activities
The Communication Style Translator
- How to adapt your communication for different types of minds without exhausting yourself
- Understanding when communication failures are style mismatches vs. actual disagreements
The Overwhelm Circuit Breaker
- Recognizing when your system is about to overload and taking preventive action
- How to step back before reaching crisis mode
Alternative Naming Schemes
Technology-Based Names
- Mental Flashlight → Attention Remote Control
- Mental Energy Battery → Cognitive Power Bank
- System Awareness → Network Monitor
- Executive Function Support → Task Processor
Nature-Based Names
- Little Clouds vs Big Storms → Weather Patterns (keep this - it’s perfect)
- Mental Energy Battery → Energy River (flow vs. depletion)
- Attention Management → Garden Focus (where you plant attention, what grows)
- Mental Flashlight → Attention Telescope
- Thought Detective → Mind Microscope
- Values Navigator → Compass for Mismatched Terrain
Body-Based Names
- Mental Energy Battery → Stamina Gauge
- Executive Function → Mind-Body Bridge
- Attention Management → Mental Muscle Control
Recommendations
Keep these metaphors - they’re working well:
- Mental Flashlight (concrete, controllable, familiar)
- Little Clouds vs Big Storms (intuitive emotional scaling)
- Mental Energy Battery (universally understood concept)
Consider developing:
- More nature-based metaphors for connection with growing/changing themes
- Simple mechanical metaphors (gears, bridges, switches) for executive function concepts
- Navigation metaphors (compass, map, GPS) for value conflicts and system navigation
Strongest universal metaphors identified:
- Light/illumination for attention and awareness
- Weather for emotional states and temporary conditions
- Energy/power for cognitive resources
- Navigation/direction for choices and values
- Building/construction for skill development
The hierarchy prioritizes immediate crisis prevention (flashlight, storms/clouds, energy) before moving to advanced skills (system thinking, evidence-based reasoning). This ensures people get essential survival tools before optimization tools.