Confession: I am a control freak.
When I was a little girl I would drive my parents crazy by asking them a million questions about what we were doing, where were we going, when we were eating, etc. I wanted routine and I needed to know what was happening next or my anxiety would skyrocket.
Over the years, I’ve learned that I can’t control everything. When I was in college my anxiety was extremely high and one day I decided I needed to let some things go. Life was going by too fast and I was sick of living in fear and being so anxious all the time.
I decided to let go of the things I couldn’t control and my life has been so much easier ever since. There are plenty of other things I can obsess about and control (trust me).
Here are a few things I’ve let go of:
- Time and getting older. I can’t stop the clock. I can’t make my baby stay little forever. I can’t stop my parents from getting older. I can’t control life or death. People are going to die and there’s nothing I can do about it.
- Other people. I can’t control my sister. I can’t control my husband. I can tell them my opinion, but I’m never going to be able to control them.
- What people think. I’m still working on this one, but I don’t care about what people think of me near as much as I used to. People are going to judge me no matter what.
- Tony’s schedule. I love to plan and make schedules, but Tony doesn’t. It actually causes him anxiety and stress so I’ve stopped trying to control his schedule.
- Making people happy. We all have to make ourselves happy. I can’t do it for you, even if I really want to.
Are you a control freak?
Nope, no control freak here. At least I do not think so.
Zenaida Arroyo recently posted..Day 5 of 5 Days of Zenaida’s Giveaways
hah, thanks Zenaida!
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
As you can probably tell I’m a HUGE control freak! Rich sounds the same way as Tony, but now with Buel and school and work he can’t live without a schedule and he’s so used to me. SO, he now needs to know our schedule for the week. It really helps, but it takes a lot of effort not to be stressed when things don’t go as planned!
Katie @ Live Half Full recently posted..Meals & Workouts 1/10
I love that we’re both control freaks. Tony has accepted it more, but he still hates when I plan too much.
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
i like a rough outline of a plan, but i think as I’ve become a mom i’ve had no choice but to go with the flow more often.
runner26 recently posted..Weekend Sports, Menu Planning – January 10, Workouts, Etc
I’m still working on going with the flow. LOL
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
I’m with you on wanting to have control over things but it definitely helps to recognize it and try to let some of that go sometimes. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
alexandra @ my urban family recently posted..Absurd Things You Can Do If You Win the Lotto
Totally! I need to remind myself often.
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
It’s silly, but I like “Let It Go” too! I find myself singing the song when I’m in particularly tough situations.
Julie recently posted..My Hippie Methods to Get Over an Illness
I love the song!
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
I read this last night but am just now getting around to commenting. I think I am cut from a very similar mold as you. I like having control, too. Anytime I’m going out to eat with friends, family, or coworkers, I am militant about knowing where we are going. I always want to look at the menu in advance to decide what I want to order.
This is a FANTASTIC list of things to let go of, especially that of folks aging. I always struggle with letting go of what other people think of me!!!
Emily @ Out and About recently posted..Training week recap: Jan 4-10, 2016, and some fangirling
Thanks, Emily! I like looking at the menu in advance too. I just always want to know what to expect and I hate surprises.
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
Hmm, I kinda needed this post. I have been a little obsessed with planning out every single aspect of my day lately. In my head I’m always running through to the to- do list. I’m going to do THIS, then THIS, then THIS, etc… And of course how often does life go according to plan with little kids?! Never. Let it GO! 🙂
Kelly @ Noodle to the Rescue recently posted..The First Week of 2016
LOL – exactly! I’m trying not to expect for everything to go according to plan so I don’t get upset when it doesn’t.
Sara recently posted..Let It Go
Oh girl, you and I could be twins. I am really trying to work on the “what people think of me” and “making people happy”. I have a hard time with these for some reason. I have always been somewhat self-conscious and always worry about how I am perceived by others. Why? I don’t know. I don’t like feeling this way though. Thankfully, since becoming a mom I worry less and less about these things. Also, I am trying to be less of a schedule Nazi. This one has been a little easier for me because you just can’t really have a “set” schedule with a baby! Haha.
Kristen @ Glitter and Dust recently posted..Training With a Purpose and a Promise
Since becoming a mom I worry a lot less about what people think of me too. There’s so much judgement about how I should be raising my kids and I’m choosing to just ignore it all.
I am totally a control freak. I have had moments of letting go through the years, but never fully like I hope to. Motherhood has been a whole different roller coaster of letting go. Lately my hardest thing to let go of is having the house clean all the time. This week I tried to stay on top of it better because my husband made a comment about how the cleaning fairy isn’t showing up anymore. I felt like I cleaned all day long but then come Friday afternoon, it was all in shambles anyway!
Melissa @ Freeing Imperfections recently posted..9 Months Later: My Postpartum Fitness Story
Melissa…I REALLY struggle with our house always being clean too! It’s especially hard when there’s so much stuff with a child.