Coping with a Lack of Control

 A common frustration for many right now is the feeling that life is out of control. We can't control the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic. We can’t control when school opens again, or how many days our children will attend. We can't control what's going to happen, in general. We don't KNOW what is going to happen. In the words of that great sage Yogi Berra “Predictions are hard to make, especially about the future.” That being said, what can we do to bring back some sense of control?     

Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is credited with developing the idea of the circle of concern and the circle of influence. The circle of concern contains everything that people could be possibly worried about, whether they can have an impact on it or not. The circle of influence is much smaller, that is, it consists of things we can change or have an influence on. He suggests that we focus our attention on things which we can change.  Easier said than done, but worth the effort. The below graphic was graciously shared by Kathy Fitzjeffries, Safe and Drug Free Schools Program Manager.

The below graphic suggests some additional ways to take back the control which we do have, and hopefully feel a little bit better.

Pick a few of these things and give them a try this week! Let us know if they help give you a better sense of control.