Hi there, and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 7 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.
This is a bonus episode, A short cup-a-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.
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.
For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.
There is a transcript for each episode. There is a caveat - this transcript is largely generated by Artificial Intelligence, I have corrected many errors but I won't have captured them all! You can also find the shownotes by clicking on notes thenkeep scrolling for all the useful links.
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[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.
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[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.
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[00:01:07] the
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[00:01:10] time.
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[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
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[00:02:04] Ross: So what can we, what can we do in response to the sort of.
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[00:02:11] election time.
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[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.
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[00:03:32] So it's not, you know, bury your head in the
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[00:03:36] never watch the news. But be selective in the news that you watch
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[00:03:42] watch anything that's, that's, uh, you know, kind of, kind of newsfotainment.
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[00:03:49] uh, um, find a, a, a source that you trust or
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[00:03:58] look at, uh, the
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[00:04:00] to keep in, keep informed. But resist that urge when you're
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[00:04:08] see what's happening.
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[00:04:29] don't want to feel under threat.
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[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.
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[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
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[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.
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[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.
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[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.
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[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.
