Being Adaptive in the Midst of Uncertainty and Change

What are three goals you want to accomplish as a family during COVID-19?

Sometimes we come across obstacles in our lives that lower our overall level of happiness and disrupt our path to success—we call these mental map hijackers. A common hijacker is a negative boss who tries to drive productivity through intimidation.

There are two parts of the brain called the Jerk and the Thinker. The Jerk is the amygdala, the most primitive part of the brain, which responds to threats. The Thinker is the prefrontal cortex, which helps you make good decisions. Fear is a map hijacker because when you activate the Jerk, you shut off the Thinker, wasting your valuable brain resources on avoiding that fear instead of pursuing your goals. Instead of letting your boss’s negativity bother you, look for meaning in your work. This will shut off the Jerk and allow the Thinker to channel your brain’s full suite of intelligences toward accomplishing that goal.

What are your mental hijackers?

Write down five triggers that consistently lead to counterproductive behavior. Are there certain people or places that let good habits slip? Once you know what your hijackers are, you can replace them with positive mental map markers.

Zorro Circles Activity

In these exercises we are going to use Zorro Circles to regain a sense of control by focusing first on small, manageable goals. Gradually expand that focus to achieve bigger goals and greater meaning.

• Zorro circles to declutter

• Zorro circles to overcome stress

• Zorro circles to assist with family finances

• Zorro circles to help with remote learning

Questions

• What is a goal you can think of during this time of isolation?

• What Zorro steps will we take to stay committed to the goal so you can reach it?

• Let’s set a bigger home goal together. What action steps can help you achieve that goal?

Zorro Circles Goal Activity Sheet (English)

Resources

• Feeling Out of Control (English)

• Feeling Out of Control (Spanish)

• Zorro Training Circle (captions available in Spanish)

• The Practice and Habit of Happiness (English)

• The Practice and Habit of Happiness (Spanish)

• How Habits and Happiness are Linked (English)

• How Habits and Happiness are Linked (Spanish)

• TED Talk: The Habits of Happiness (captions available in Spanish)

• Goal Progress and Happiness (English)

• Goal Progress and Happiness (Spanish)