Circle of Control Worksheet: Sort Worries by What You Can Control and Where to Focus

About this tool

The Circle of Control Worksheet helps you separate actions you can take from outcomes you can influence and events you cannot change. Use it when a worry feels too broad to act on, so your next step becomes clearer even if uncertainty remains. Sort specific parts of a situation rather than placing your entire health, relationship, or future in a single category. The aim is a workable response to the concern you face.

What lands in your inner circle is usually smaller than anxiety suggests, but it is also where all your real power sits: your own actions, choices, effort, words, boundaries, how you respond, what you give your attention to. The middle ring holds things you can nudge but not dictate, like other people's decisions or how a project turns out: here the move is to take your best action, then release the result. The outer ring holds the rest: the past, other people's feelings, the economy, the weather, what might happen. Worrying about these changes nothing and drains the energy you need elsewhere. Your options also depend on safety, health, money, and available support. Treat the inner circle as what is realistically available to you now, rather than a demand to control every thought, feeling, or automatic reaction.

Acceptance means acknowledging the parts of a situation you cannot decide while making room for the feelings that come with it. You can still care, ask for change, protect yourself, and take action with others. The NHS worry guidance distinguishes problems you can address from hypothetical worries beyond your control and suggests making a specific plan for practical concerns. This supports the worksheet's general approach; it does not establish that this exact circle exercise will reduce anxiety for everyone. A useful result can be a clearer next action even when you still feel worried.

The idea has deep roots. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus opened his Enchiridion with almost the same distinction: some things are within our power, like our judgments and choices, and some things are not, like our body, our reputation, and outside events. Stephen Covey brought a version of it to a modern audience as the circle of influence in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, arguing that proactive people spend their energy inside the circle they can affect instead of reacting to everything around them.

If your worry list keeps filling the outer ring no matter how many times you sort it, or if letting go feels impossible even when you know an item is out of your hands, that pattern is worth bringing to a professional. Psychology.com's therapist directory at /therapist/ lets you search for a therapist who works with anxiety and can help you build acceptance skills alongside this worksheet.

For a job application, writing a clear resume and submitting it are actions you can choose. Asking someone to review it may influence its quality. The employer's final decision is outside your control. Turn the completed worksheet into a sentence naming the action and when you intend to take it. If the same worry returns, check whether new information requires a decision before sorting it again.

A common mistake is using the outer circle to dismiss an unsafe or unfair situation. You may be unable to control another person's behavior while still having options to seek support, document concerns, or make a safety plan with help. Likewise, a worry about bills may call for practical advice as well as emotional support. Revisit the categories when circumstances change; the worksheet is a working reflection, not a permanent judgment about your power to act.

The Worry Decision Tree can help you decide whether a concern needs problem-solving or a response to uncertainty. The Anxiety Worksheets collection offers related exercises if you need a different starting point. If repeated sorting becomes a way to seek complete certainty, pause and discuss that pattern with a clinician rather than requiring yourself to get every category exactly right.

Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW
Reviewed the control-sorting framework and acceptance framing for accuracy.

References

1. Harris R. The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living. Trumpeter; 2008.
2. Covey SR. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press; 1989.
3. National Health Service. Tackling your worries. Every Mind Matters. https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/self-help-cbt-techniques/tackling-your-worries/

Circle of Control Worksheet FAQ