Yesterday, on social media, I posted the above quote. I realize that is many words and is likely confusing. I noted I would talk more about it, so here we go!

A good question I ask my patients to ask themselves when they are feeling anxious or worried about something is, “Is this something I have control over?”

If the answer is yes, I instruct them to think about actions they can take and then follow through on them! For example, let’s say I am anxious about getting COVID-19. I can just sit around and worry (not helpful), or I can do something about it.

Some actions I could take might be getting vaccinated, socially distancing, wearing a mask indoors, and washing my hands. While these things do not guarantee I do not get COVID-19, I can at least say to myself “I did everything in my control that I could do!”

If the answer is no, then there is likely nothing you can do about the thing you are worried about.

However, you can tell your anxiety monster “Leave me alone!!” or something like that. If you feel better using curse words, go ahead and use those!

WHAT DO I HAVE CONTROL OVER?

You always want to think about what YOU have control over. You can take action. You can share your feelings. You can share knowledge in an attempt to convince someone else of your belief.

WHAT DO I NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER?

You do not have control over other people. You do not control other’s feelings or thoughts. You do not control how other’s view you.

This list can go on and on for both of these, but I think you get the point!

So what if my brain KEEPS focusing on the things I do not have control over? Then what do I do???

You guessed it… My next blog post will cover it!