How We Regain a Sense of Agency Over Our Lives

Why is self-agency important

1. Mental health and well-being

Self-agency can be beneficial in our boosting our mental wellness especially in trying times like a pandemic. In a study conducted on the psychological well-being of people who are experiencing Covid restrictions such as country-wide lockdown and mandatory working and studying from home, the researchers found that a high sense of agency is closely associated with mental well-being.

They found that people who had a higher sense of agency were more intentional about how they spent their time i.e. on productive activities like exercise and baking for example and not just vegetating in front of the television. Additionally, people with a greater sense of agency also connected more with the people in their lives which improved their relationships and improved their mental well-being as a result.

2. Resilience towards life’s curveballs

In a study of children who live in environments stricken with civil unrest, researchers found that these children understandably, experienced a low satisfaction in life. This is presumably due to the uncertainty of living arrangements, constant threat of relocation, restricted access to education and food and financial insecurity.

However, they found that the kids who have a greater sense of agency over their lives and were more resourceful over what they can do instead of focusing on what they cannot do, and they were more resilient when it comes to coping with life’s challenges. This agency and resilience thus increased their satisfaction in life compared to the children with less sense of agency.

In our own lives, tough times can hit when least expected. Say the pandemic for example, many of us have felt the effects. Some have lost jobs or loved ones and many of our plans have been put on hold. There is uncertainty and insecurity everywhere. We are not living in war zones but that feeling of anxiety over the uncertain future is similar. When this happens, our sense of agency gives us hope, helps us cope and rise to the challenge rather than cave in.

3. Goals and purpose

When we pursue goals, our motivation will naturally increase and decrease as we progress through the goals. What is central to keeping us moving forward is our self-agency. When we have a greater sense of agency, we are more likely to attribute what happens in our life to the actions we take and thus we are also more likely to set goals and work at achieving them.

Researchers also found that when even when an outcome is unsuccessful despite progress, our self-agency nevertheless increases gradually. On the other hand, when we are successful with our goals, our sense of agency increases exponentially.

Now, think of the goals you have pursued, not all of them reached the outcome you desired. Even though they weren’t successful, you made some progress, perhaps learnt some lessons but throughout whole process, your sense of agency still persists and keeps you going. When you achieve your goals however, don’t you feel a massive boost in believing what you can achieve?

How can we instill more agency into our lives?

Now that you know the importance of having agency. What can you do to instill more of it into your life?

1. Start believing

Our limiting beliefs hold us back from having faith in our capabilities and reduces the sense of control we have over our life and circumstances.

According to the psychiatrist John Sharp, when we are plagued with limiting beliefs we can change them by first questioning the basis for these beliefs and view them objectively with a new lens rather than our old lens.

Next, we should be compassionate about our old beliefs especially if they have held us back, there is no need to be hard on ourselves for past regrets, just move on. Finally, leave behind the old limiting beliefs and create new empowering beliefs based on the positives in your life such as what you have achieved.

2. Redirect your attention

There is a popular quote that goes like this “energy flows where attention goes”. It has been attributed to Tony Robbins and various other people so I am not sure where this quote originated from so if you know, drop me a note in the comments.

Regardless of who said it first, I think it is fair to say that for us to have more sense of agency, we must first recognize where we are directing our energy. Instead of focusing on the negatives of the situation, what if you simply redirect your attention on what is within your control and what you can do?

Using the pandemic as an example again, when we were told to stay home and that no shops or restaurants will be opened, most of us simply thought of what else we could do productively with our time. For example, many people started fixing up their homes, some learnt new skills, some retrained for other jobs and so forth. Attention redirected.

3. Start small and take action

If you can still remember, I had mentioned that our sense of agency is present even when we stall on our goals or fail to achieve a desirable outcome. Most importantly, our agency increases with progress meaning action we take and increases exponentially when we experience success no matter how big or small.

Imagine if you have a goal of losing 20 pounds, you won’t see an instantaneous difference in weight in the first few weeks but you can measure your progress by measuring the actions you take such as number of workouts and percentage of healthy meals per week. At some point you will achieve a noticeable difference in size and shape which will boost your self-agency significantly. The only mistake you can make here is not taking any action at all.