Current e-Journal

But it's more than that. It's the fact that this pile of crises is added on top of the everyday things we face all the time - from dealing with workplace issues to to dealing with aging parents. Those things didn't disappear just because the world is off balance.

What we forget in those circumstances is that there is always something over which we do have control. It could be simply our thoughts about the situation, or it could be actual actions we can take. That's where this week's practice comes in

Try this

This week’s exercise takes only a minute or two. Yet it can be immensely powerful.

1) Take a deep breath to quiet your mind.

2) List at least 5 things you have control over, no matter how small.
I have control over _______________

3) Notice: Did any of the items on that list surprise you? What did you feel as you thought about the things you DO have control over?

Try this practice every day for a week. You might do it once in the morning as you are anticipating the day, or in the evening, after the day’s occurrences have all piled up in your head. Because it only takes 2 minutes, try doing both!

As you make your lists, you will become more aware of your own self-talk, as you will be listening to yourself through the lens of Catalytic Listening. This is powerful, because your self-talk – and how you listen to yourself - is another thing over which you DO have control.

Sometimes just the simple act of listing those 5 things is enough to help your shoulders relax a bit. At other times, it is helpful to take action – to do one of the things you’ve identified.

Either way, being mindful of the things over which you have control can change the feedback loops in your brain. That simple act of interrupting the fear-based loop will allow you to access the part of the brain that can insert reason and creativity into the conversation you are having with yourself.

That is why this exercise – and all of Catalytic Listening – is such an important part of the Catalytic Thinking framework.