Control in uncertain times

This was the lesson we were all trying to learn over lockdown, wasn’t it? That we should ‘control the controllables’. Seemingly, that lesson has settled in our brains just in time for the new wave of uncertainty that arrives with another new normal – one in which we seemingly have to live with a virus, get back into the office and get on with life despite feelings of unease.

Just this morning, my friend sent me a message full of stressful things that were going on in her life: issues with a mortgage broker, a contractual issue with a new job, busy season arriving in her current role. But after the rant, my friend said: “In a weird way I’m relatively calm. All of it is out of my control, so I just think I need to leave it to those in charge to deal with it.”

Interestingly, she’s just come back from a trip to the Scottish Highlands, where she forewent her phone for a week to spend time hiking with family. I’m not saying that being in nature helped her sense of perspective, but maybe focusing on her wellbeing for the past week has given her a sense of control despite her concern for other things that are going on in her life.

How pessimism can change your wellbeing habits for the better