Relax, nothing is under control.
– unknown origin (to me)
A lot of our stress comes from wanting or trying to be in control of what we are not in control of.
In a conventional sense, we are in control of how we relate to a situation. We can do what we can to deal with it the best we can. But we are not in control over the situation itself, or other people, or the world.
The quote reminds us of this. I can take care of what I am in control of and do the best I can there. And reminding myself that I am not in control of the rest allows me to sit back a bit and relax.
I do my job, see what happens, and then I can respond to that if I need to.
I don’t know what will happen, but I can trust that I can deal with it as best I can when it does.
That’s really all that’s needed in daily life.
And yet, if we are drawn to it, we can look a little closer.
We may find that we are not in control of anything. An impulse comes up in me to act, but I am not in control of that impulse coming up or not. Nothing that happens in this human self is under “my control”. It lives its own life.
And that may show me something else. If what happens lives its own life, is there really any “I” here that has or has not control?