Out of Control

Do you ever feel like life is happening FOR you? Feel like you have no say in the monotonous daily routine? Feel that you can’t ever hit pause and take a break for yourself? Are you spiraling in a whirlwind, perhaps a bit out of control?

Well spiral no further. It’s time to put on the brakes for a moment, switch the monotony for autonomy, and look deep within to ask ourselves what we really need.

One really simple thing you can do to regain control is to make a mental list of what you can control in this very moment. Do you have one goal for the week? How about at least one thing you can do on your own that makes you happy? How about a project that you’ve been meaning to work on; can you come up with three steps for how you are going to kickstart it? Little mental lists like these help us realize that not everything is out of our hands. We can actually take responsibility for a lot of the things we have going on in our lives, and it’s really just a matter of organizing those things to make them more manageable. In doing this, we can calm ourselves down, get some serotonin flowing, and see things in a more positive light.

Another way I like to maintain control in my life is to set some time aside for my own well-being. It’s easy to convince yourself out of it, negotiating that you have other things to do or other responsibilities that should probably come first. But even if it is just a few minutes a day, or even once a week, those important moments will allow you to reset, rethink, and re-approach challenges with a new mindset. Even if a consistent schedule or set time is impossible, I encourage self-care time to be treated as a priority. It can be as simple as a soothing face mask, a guided meditation, a good book, or some calm lighting and a prayer. Whatever your mind and body want, is probably what it needs. For all of the hard work you do at school, in work, and for others, you owe yourself as much a few minutes to thank yourself for all you do, and to treat yourself with the respect you deserve. 

Finally, envision the person you want to be. Then take that image, and all of the little quirks and imperfections about it, and craft it, step by step. Draw in the positive attitudes, motives, self-care routines, and ambition that make you a happier person. Not a perfect person, but a happier person. By having the image of who you want to be in your mind, and having a detailed plan of how to get there, you will surely be able to grab the reins and control your life, steering it off into the sunset, in the exact direction you desire.

When are times that you feel like things are out of your control? Have they happened recently? What has helped you regain control in your life? Share your experiences below!