There’s not much worse than feeling frantic. Overthinking, worry, fears, and other heightened emotions can lead to outrageous behaviors. Behaviors like:
- Being controlling
- Acting out in anger
- Avoiding people and tasks
- Blaming
- And other behaviors
Part of trying to mitigate fear is trying to control as much of a situation as you can. This can drain your spirit. Spending too much energy trying to control things that may be beyond control can make your soul weary, your body achy, and your mind mushy. It flat wears you out in every way.
When you are facing extreme circumstances and you can’t control them, it’s time to consider giving up control in order to find rest. That may sound much easier than it actually is. If control has been all that’s holding you together, letting go can feel like abandonment or asking for the worst. That can feel very scary.
The reality is, if you can’t control something, there is literally nothing you can do about it anyway and the best thing you can do is make space to rest so you have the energy, brain power, and spiritual resolve to make it through.
Here are some simple Dos and Don’ts to help you give up control and create room for rest.
Do: Pray or meditate. It doesn’t matter what belief system you look to for your source of strength. Letting go and praying, meditating, or connecting with the universe all help you sense something bigger than yourself and your problems. There is comfort to be had by giving your worries up to a higher power.
Don’t: Expect to feel better instantly. It probably took you a while to get to the state you’re in. Give yourself time to unwind and let go. If you’ve been trying to control the situation like a micro-manager, it will take time to back off and be at ease with chips falling where they may.
Do: Expect the best. Letting go allows for you to get some rest. Washing your hands from what you can’t control and focusing on what you can helps you find some wins where once everything seemed to fail. The more you let go, the easier it is to be effective with the things you can impact directly.
Don’t: Forget that things tend to work out. A lot of what we worry about is exaggerated in our minds more than it is in reality. Letting go helps redirect your attention and puts some distance between you and your problems. The freed up mental space makes it possible to see things from a new and refreshed perspective. You may even decide things are turning out perfectly under the circumstances.
Giving up control creates space for rest in your spirit. It’s hard to give all you have and fail to see results. Giving up control means you can let things play out without as much emotional involvement.
