04/29/2024
“The harder you resist change, the more difficult the obstacles to overcome.”
One of the most beneficial things I received from my therapist, shortly after beginning my “surrender to the s**t show,” was a printout with a circle on it. Seems simple, but this was no ordinary circle. This circle represented an individual’s Circle of Control.
Oddly enough, the VISUAL of the things within my control inside the circle and the contrast of the things listed outside of the circle, freed something within me. This visual served as a quick reference when anxiety or that feeling of overwhelm arose throughout the day or during certain interactions. It served as a tool to guide me while deconstructing a situation, sorting and labeling what I could and couldn’t directly control, which ultimately, led to reprieve from the pressure I had mounted on myself.
You may have heard the saying about “making a mountain out of a molehill.” Mountains…are a matter of perspective. An ant would consider a molehill a mountain, a human would simply step over it or on it. From a plane a mountain looks like…well a raised area of land, much like a molehill would look if you were standing over it. Regardless, mountains are movable. It may be piece by piece, but I’ve gotten pretty good at shuffling pebbles, and this simple little tool has been one of my staple helpers. If ants can do it…we can do it.
Here's to moving mountains, what better way to tackle a Monday?
