Focus on the Locus

Hello there! Vanessa here. Taking Control is the topic of EatWell this week, and Karen has lots of tips and strategies for you. The number one strategy though, in my opinion, is recognizing that you can't control everything! Counterintuitive? Maybe. But realizing what you CAN control and then shifting your focus to those elements of your life is the real gamechanger. This is part of identifying your Locus of Control. A locus of control refers to the extent to which you feel that you have control over the events that influence your life.

I see this play out often in consults, where a client is trying to make changes in the way that they eat but doesn't feel like there is family buy-in. In this scenario, one strategy is to have the client identify how many meals they eat with family vs. how many meals they don't. During this conversation, it usually comes out that at least one and often 2 meals are eaten solo: often lunch and sometimes breakfast. This leads to an "aha moment" for the client: they can make changes in those meals! They are identifying what individual aspects they can control and taking charge to make change, which increases overall feelings that they've got this. Accordingly, they can begin to let go of what is not fully in their control, which helps to decrease overall stress.

If you're reading this and nodding along in agreement, we're here to help. A practical change that you can make right away in the above situation would be to plan nutrient-dense lunches that you enjoy, and we've got an infographic to help you do that in this week's recipe for easy lunch salads. You can also check out our EatWell Facebook page for a video demonstration of this technique in collaboration with our friends at the Warren County Extension offices. It's all about identifying what you can control and then building from there!