Lose Control | Regain Sanity - Struggle Shuttle

Have you ever been told that you are a control freak? Have you been told that you need to relax? Take a chill pill? As women, and especially as moms, I think that it is just natural for us to feel the need to take care of everything. The problem is that a lot of the time this results in us having to do things ‘our way’. We feel that the only way to maintain the chaos is to stay in control of everything. However, being in control all of the time is exhausting! Sometimes the best way to regain sanity again is to actually let go of some of that control.

My control issues used to be so bad that I have had a couple of panic attacks due to anxiety. However, today I am so much more relaxed and am able to regain sanity because I practice losing control.

Losing control doesn’t mean being completely reckless. It just means to let go of some of your inhibitions. Do something that you wouldn’t normally do. Or do something that you have always secretly wanted to do. Once you do I think that you will be surprised at how liberating it can be!

To get you started, here are twenty ways that I practice losing control to regain sanity!

#1 Play ‘I pick 3, You pick 1’.

This is a good place to start if you need to ease into the idea of letting go of control. You can use this exercise in any situation. For example, say you are trying to choose where to go to dinner. You will pick three places and let whomever else you are going with pick one of your three and go there. This is a baby step into letting go of control.

**Once you master this, try to flip it to they pick three and you pick one!

#2 Sit in a different spot at the table/ on the couch.

Do you have a spot that you always sit in at the table or in the living room? If you have control issues, I bet you do!

Sitting in a different spot may sound super easy, but I think that you will be surprised at how difficult it is for us control freaks! How long do you think you can you do it for?

#3 Let the stylist pick your haircut &/ color.

This one may take a while to get to. It’s extremely difficult to trust someone else with your personal style, especially if it hasn’t changed in a while. I recently took this one step further and went to a Great Clips with a stylist I had never met before and let her pick. I haven’t had bangs since 8th grade…but I do now…

I know…I look like Joan Jett…But I am going to rock it! (No pun intended 😉 )

#4 Let the nail technician choose your color.

Get crazy and let them choose a design too!

#5 Go to a party and drink/don’t drink.

Do the opposite of whatever you would normally do. It may seem like a small adjustment, but you will feel like a different person.

#6 Let a travel agent plan your vacation.

Do you have to plan your vacations down to the minute? Vacations are for relaxing, not for agendas! Try to let go of the need to control each second and see how much sanity you can regain by actually relaxing!

**You don’t have to have a travel agent do it either. Let your family or your friends choose what you are going to do or where you are going to go. The last time I did this, I ended up whitewater rafting! It was something I NEVER thought I would do, but it’s an experience I will NEVER forget!

#7 Let your child/husband pick your outfit and wear whatever they choose.

This is SO hard but SO fun!

#8 Let the server pick your meal.

#9 Let the bartender pick your drink.

#10 Let the butcher choose your protein.

Scheduling Sally, do you have fish every Friday?? Try to mix it up and have the butcher choose your protein for dinner!

#11 ‘You Choose’ Days

Assign a member of your family as the person that gets to pick EVERYTHING you all do for one day! You’ll be amazed at how much fun it will be!

#12 Order the mystery option.

Some companies have ‘mystery/surprise’ options where they choose the design for you. It’s exciting to have no idea what you are getting until it arrives at your house!

**My favorite one is My LaLa Leggings. If you’ve never heard of them, check out my review article, Oh LaLa or Oh NaNa? Their sample pack includes three pairs of leggings that they randomly select for you! My last sample pack I got:

#13 ‘Pick a Number’, Google Days

Have someone in your family pick a number for the day and write it down. Then, when you want to do something, Google it and choose the listing of that number. For example, if the number was 5 and you are going to lunch, Google ‘restaurants near you’ and go to the 5th result.

#14 Play ‘Chopped’ at home.

Have you seen the show Chopped? If not, it is a cooking show where chefs get three random items that they have to include in their dish. To do this at home, have your partner/child choose three random things (from the store/home) and incorporate them somehow in your meal!

#15 Take a dance class.

Exercise is a great way to regain sanity! Taking a dance class that you wouldn’t normally do takes to one step further and gets you out of that “controlling comfort zone”.