Agency: Choosing Your Response to Life

Agency is defined as action or intervention, especially such as to produce a particular effect: One of my favorite definitions of positive mental health is the ability to make things happen. Agency can be driven by external or internal material. The wellspring of coherent or non-coherent agency originates from within. It is choosing your response to life.

Agency: Impulsivity vs. Spontaneity

Your conscious and unconscious material related to your beliefs, thoughts, and attitudes about life is related to the quality of action you take. Impulsivity is action based on the desire of “I want it right now.” The desire is often rooted in automatic or unconscious belief systems that drive you to action. The action might lead to short-term gains, but, generally comes from a reactive place of fear, anxiety, anger, or overwhelm driven by unmet needs. Because of this, the action and outcome lead to spiraling down into non-coherence and regret after the action is taken.

Spontaneity, on the other hand, is an action that is motivated by perspective and composure and results in a sense of joy, relaxation, and constructive creativity. There is a relationship between trust and a sense of simplicity with spontaneity,

Trying and Not Trying

Will is part of the process. The effort is usually associated with success. However, coherent choices are often fused with the larger process of rationality and self-control. Our body takes action with the thoughts and metaphors within our brain, yet we are challenged to work with both emotional and conscious considerations.

Agency: When In Doubt Do Nothing

Giving up control or forcing an outcome to something larger than yourself gives you the opportunity to consider your true values for life. This allows you to feel more in the natural flow, and calm to connect to the intelligent field of limitless possibilities in the process.

Allowing yourself to move from your negative cycling thoughts to your heart center is a wonderful way to get in touch with the flow of life-energizing wisdom.

Agency: You are the Agent of Choice

Too much stimulation or distraction can make it difficult to choose agency coherently. The phrase, “When in doubt do nothing,” points to the possibility of being the agent of change by creating calm and a platform for insight, inspiration, or guidance to naturally evolve. This happens with self-care, getting rest, and carrying for your need to process what is happening before considering the next steps.

Questions to consider in your process:

• How is what I’m expecting making me feel? Am I feeling frustrated, afraid, anxious, or more at peace and calm with what I am considering?

• When in doubt do nothing: What do I believe or think this choice will create or fulfill for me? What is the underlying need? If I allow myself time and space with this choice, will I make the same decision?

• Is it true? What are the facts and what are my body sensations telling me about considering this choice? Is there another way or perspective to re-frame this situation?

Making space and time for your feelings, thoughts, and body sensations related to decisions you are considering allows you to create the opportunity to experience greater integrity in your wellness and well-being.

Kimberly Rex, MS is an Advanced Resonance Repatterning® practitioner, Person-Centered Expressive Therapist, and Wellness and Well-being Life Coach. She works with people all over the world via Skype, by phone, and by proxy.

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