Topic: Mental Health
Feeling out of control over one's life tends to increase the stress level. This is especially true for people who suffer from some kind of disease, as they have to deal with their daily problems as well as the obstacles caused by their mental condition.
Locus of Control
The concept of locus of control is extremely important in these cases. In simple words, it means to feel responsible for one´s life. Usually, people who feel control over their lives tend to be happier, and therefore find it easier to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, when a person feels out of control, feelings of depression may begin to grow inside. If a person is not careful, these feelings of helplessness can lead to a severe depression.
What can you do to control your life?
There are many ways to take control over your life. Here we will mention five general recommendations that will be of great help for you:
1. Person-centered goals: a very important step to feel control over life is to set clear goals. They should be short, medium and long term. Having a goal to reach provides a great sense of self achievement.
2. Brainstorming for goal: usually, when a person feels overwhelmed by life, they tend to hide in their own world, which will make it more difficult to define the goals they want to achieve. In these cases, brainstorming with a friend can help get a different perspective on the most important aspects of a person´s life. This should be of great help since different solutions can be discovered that a person would never have thought alone.
3. Learning more skills: the more skills a person has, the easier it is to become independent. For example, when a person knows how to drive, they do not have to depend on others to do their activities. Also, the fact of learning something new makes the person feel more useful and productive. If you want to learn new skills there are a large number of schools and courses available that can help you achieve that goal.
4. Self-motivation: it is important to acknowledge that many situations in life are difficult and may not turn out as planned. In these cases, you have to think that every failure is actually a learning opportunity. Using positive thinking as much as possible tends to be of great help. On the other hand, try to stay away from negative people and situations, as this can affect your mood.
5. Reduce stress: stress is a normal part of daily life. This is even truer for people who suffer from a disease, because the symptoms can increase the stress. For these cases, support groups or professional therapy may be helpful, as a person will be able to talk about life´s frustrations.
We hope these general recommendations help you take control over your life, but keep in mind that these changes do not occur overnight. This will probably be a long process that requires a lot of perseverance. Remember that the longest journey begins with the first step.