From Overwhelm to Action

Mapping What You Can Control

Right now, the world feels heavy. The news cycle is relentless, funding is unpredictable, and the challenges facing our communities are complex and deeply entrenched. It’s easy to feel swept up in it all—doomscrolling, holding our breath, feeling the weight of it pressing against our chests.

But this isn’t the first disruption to our sector, and it won’t be the last. Change work has always been messy, and it always will be. The question isn’t whether we’ll face uncertainty—it’s how we’ll move through it without losing ourselves in the process.

One of the most powerful ways to do this is by focusing on where we have agency—the things we can control, the places we can influence, and the spaces where, even when we don’t have direct power, we can still take care of ourselves and others.

The Practice: Mapping Your Sphere of Influence and Control

When the overwhelm sets in, take a moment to step back and map out your worries into three categories:

1️⃣ Things I CAN control – These are direct personal actions, like how you take care of yourself, how you show up in your work, and the commitments you make to your community.

2️⃣ Things I CAN influence – These are areas where your voice, actions, or network can make a difference, like policy advocacy, shifting narratives, or supporting movements and organizations working toward change.

3️⃣ Things I CANNOT control – These are the big, external factors: election outcomes, economic downturns, systemic injustices. The things that weigh heavily on us but aren’t within our direct reach.

Turning Worry Into Action

Once you’ve mapped your worries, shift your focus to what’s within your sphere of control or influence. The big, overwhelming problems don’t disappear, but when you identify even a small way to engage, you move from feeling powerless to taking meaningful action.

Not everything can be fixed overnight, and no single person or organization can do it all. But we are not powerless—especially when we find ways to connect, contribute, and shift energy toward solutions. The key is finding your something—the action that aligns with your capacity, values, and the change you want to see.

Ask yourself:

➡ What’s one small action I can take this week to move from worry to action?
➡ Who can I connect with for support or collaboration?
➡ What joyful or energizing practice can help sustain me while I take action?

For the worries in the “Cannot Control” category, instead of getting stuck in frustration, consider:

🔹 How can I reframe my thinking around this issue?
🔹 Where can I redirect my energy toward something I can influence?
🔹 What do I need to release in order to protect my well-being?

Sometimes, what starts as a seemingly impossible problem shifts when we break it down. A crisis in the world might lead you to organize locally. A policy that feels immovable might open opportunities for narrative change. A funding gap might spark a new kind of partnership.

We can’t do everything, but we must do something. Find the something you can do, and start there.

Breaking Free from the Doom Spiral

This practice isn’t about ignoring the hard stuff or pretending everything is fine. It’s about choosing where to put your energy so you can keep showing up in ways that matter. It’s about breaking free from the cycle of anxiety and paralysis, so you can be a more effective changemaker—one who takes action from a place of clarity and purpose, rather than exhaustion and despair.

In moments of upheaval, finding your footing is essential. You can’t do everything, but you can do something. And that something—no matter how small—keeps the work moving forward.

If you’re looking for a simple way to regain your sense of agency, this tool is a great place to start. Download it, use it, and share it with your team. Let’s keep anchoring ourselves in action—together.

Your Call to Action

Stepping out of overwhelm and into action isn’t just a personal practice—it’s a leadership practice. When we create space for ourselves and our teams to pause, reflect, and refocus, we build resilience and clarity in the face of uncertainty.

I invite you to try this exercise for yourself first. Then, bring it to a team, board, or group that’s feeling especially powerless right now. Give them the chance to name what’s weighing on them and find their something—the action, influence, or shift in perspective that moves them forward.

To make it easy, I’ve put together a facilitation guide and worksheet so you can host this conversation in your own space.

👉 Download the Facilitation Guide & Worksheet

Let’s shift from paralysis to progress, together.