Cup a SOup - Election Anxiety

[00:00:00] Ross: Hi there, and a very warm welcome to season 6, episode 7 of People Soup.

[00:00:04] It's Ross McIntosh here.

[00:00:06] This is a bonus episode, A short cuppa soup, if you like, where we're going to hear from anxiety expert Dr. Eric Goodman from California. You will hear the rest of his interview in a few weeks time, but this extract on election anxiety was too good not to share in advance.

[00:00:23] After the clip from Eric, I relate election anxiety to a useful tool we can use to identify what we control in life, and it helps us direct our energy in more productive directions. This is based upon the work of Stephen Covey, who wrote the book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

[00:00:40] All in all, this cuppa soup is under 9 minutes long. You haven't come across Peopleship before

[00:00:46] If you haven't come across people soup before, Welcome, we're all about providing you with the ingredients for a better work life, from behavioral science and beyond. So without further ado, let's go straight over to Dr. Eric Goodman.

[00:01:00] Eric: You know, one of

[00:01:07] the

[00:01:08] challenges of this

[00:01:10] time.

[00:01:11] is the, the politicians know that, To get people to take action, to give money, to vote, to advocate for them, they have to scare the living daylights out of us. and so, you know, I'm not sure, uh, how the news is over, uh, you know, where, where, where, where you're living.

[00:01:37] But here. There's no news that it's coming out that isn't about how the, you know, a politician is going to take over the country, they're going to destroy the life that we know

[00:01:54] and that they're the enemy. Um, and it's [00:02:00] incredibly anxiety provoking because it's meant to be.

[00:02:04] Ross: So what can we, what can we do in response to the sort of.

[00:02:08] media frenzy around politics and particularly around

[00:02:11] election time.

[00:02:13] Eric: Well, Ask yourselves what's actionable, right? So you can, you can vote, and I've, you know, I've already voted through early, early ballots. You can, um, talk to your friends and family about the importance of voting. You can donate some money. You can donate some time. But you don't have the powers and individual to Change a whole lot about the reality of, of, of whatever the situation is going to be.

[00:02:47] And so understand that the news is not about informing you. That's not, that's not what it's about. The, the, uh, you know, news organizations, they make their money based on your clicks. And the best way to get your clicks is to scare you. And the politicians want you to take action, and they do that through scaring you.

[00:03:14] And so just know that if you flip through the news, you are going to feel more anxious afterwards than if you did not. So I think people need to be somewhat informed.

[00:03:32] So it's not, you know, bury your head in the

[00:03:34] sand and, and, and never, uh,

[00:03:36] never watch the news. But be selective in the news that you watch

[00:03:41] you don't have to

[00:03:42] watch anything that's, that's, uh, you know, kind of, kind of newsfotainment.

[00:03:48] but you can certainly,

[00:03:49] uh, um, find a, a, a source that you trust or

[00:03:53] a couple of sources that you trust and, and, you know, occasionally

[00:03:58] look at, uh, the

[00:03:59] [00:04:00] headlines

[00:04:00] to keep in, keep informed. But resist that urge when you're

[00:04:06] bored just to

[00:04:08] see what's happening.

[00:04:10] Because you're just revving up your, uh, your nervous system again and again and again. and you can, you can, you can, you can choose that. And, uh, uh, no law against that. If, if you want to be feeling under threat, you can do that. But if you

[00:04:29] don't want to feel under threat.

[00:04:33] then there might be some other, uh, other things that are worth spending your time doing.

[00:04:39] Ross: Thanks to Eric for your wisdom and timely tips. I look forward to sharing the complete episode with you in a few weeks time. As promised, I want to finish by presenting you with a tool I often use in my work. It presents the concept of the Circle of Concern, the Circle of Influence, and the Circle of Control.

[00:05:00] It offers a practical way to prioritize where we direct our time, energy, and attention. These ideas are part of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and they help us focus on what we can truly impact, rather than stress about things outside of our control. So, in this model there are three circles, and if you want to see how they fit together, you can read the blog that accompanies this bonus episode at rossmcintosh.co.uk/thinking let's go through the circles one by one. Firstly, the biggest circle, we have the circle of concern. The circle of concern includes everything we care about, from global issues, politics, to personal worries. Things like world events, other people's opinions, or future uncertainties.

[00:05:50] This circle is large because it includes anything that might affect us or interest us. However, many of these concerns are outside of our influence or [00:06:00] control. So if we focus here, we can feel overwhelmed and powerless. By spending

[00:06:05] time focusing on the issues in the circle of concern, We reduce the amount of attention and energy that we can direct to things that we can influence or can control.

[00:06:15] The next circle is the circle of influence. This is the second largest circle. Within our circle of concern is a smaller circle of influence, which covers things we can affect. This might include relationships, work responsibilities, or healthy habits. By focusing here, we can take proactive steps to improve or change things that directly impact us, like strengthening connections with family, advancing our careers, or making healthier choices.

[00:06:45] The key is that we have the potential to make a difference in these areas.

[00:06:50] and the third circle at the center of our concentric circles, the smallest one, is our circle of control. this includes things we have direct control over, like how we show up in different areas of life, our actions, our words, and our responses to life events.

[00:07:08] Focusing our attention and energy on the circle of control is where we can find the most empowerment. It's not always easy, but it does provide a useful focus. Whilst, we certainly don't control everything that happens to us in life. We do have a choice in how we respond. So why do these circles matter? The circles can help us manage stress by showing us where to focus our energy, attention, and time.

[00:07:32] Spending too much time in the circle of concern can make us feel anxious and frustrated, while focusing on our circle of control and influence can lead to more productive outcomes. By directing our attention to what we can influence and can control, we can stay proactive, reduce stress and increase our sense of personal effectiveness.

[00:07:52] A great way to play with these is to draw the largest circle first, the circle of concern, the very center of that circle, the smallest [00:08:00] circle, the circle of control. Then between the two, the circle of influence. I'd recommend using post it notes to try and capture all your concerns. Everything that's on your mind. Then you can use the circles to move the post it notes around. which of the circles reflects your relationship with these issues? I hope you have fun playing, and let me know how you get on and if you find this useful.

[00:08:23] If you've enjoyed this episode, please do share, subscribe, rate, and review. if you want to check out more about me and my work, please go to rossmcintosh.co.Uk to see my new website, and you might want to subscribe to my newsletter too. Thanks to Andy Glenn for his spoon magic, but most of all, dear listener, thanks to you.

[00:08:43] Look after yourselves, peace supers, and bye for now.