The Control Circle: A Tool to Manage Excessive Worry
Who Can Benefit?
The Control Circle technique is particularly useful for individuals who struggle with excessive worry, generalised anxiety, or find that anxiety impacts their focus and productivity. This method helps to visually organize worries, allowing you to focus on what you can control and reducing the stress caused by what you cannot.
How to Use the Control Circle Technique
When you’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed, take the following steps to create a Control Circle map:
- Draw Your Circles: On a piece of paper, draw three circles: a large outer circle, a medium circle inside the large one, and a small circle inside the medium one.
- Identify Your Worries: Write down the worries you’re experiencing and place them in the circles based on how much control you have over each:
- Small Circle: Things entirely within your control.
- Medium Circle: Things mostly within your control.
- Large Circle: Things you can influence but are difficult to control.
- Outside the Circles: Things you have no control over.
- Reflect and Act: Review your diagram. Recognize that the items outside the circles or in the large circle are largely beyond your control, so worrying about them won’t change the outcome. Instead, focus on something from the small or medium circle where you can take immediate action. Develop a plan to address it, channeling your energy towards what you can influence.
The Science Behind the Control Circle
The sense of control is crucial in reducing anxiety, worry, and even physical pain. This is mediated by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in executive functions and decision-making. By focusing on what is within your control, you can strengthen activity in this region, helping to modulate your brain’s response to stress and reduce anxiety.
Reference
Korb, A. (2015). The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time. New Harbinger Publications.