The need to have control over our environment and circumstances is deeply established in our minds. This is because the more we understand our surroundings, the more secure we feel. Conversely, the less we know, the more terrified we get. The desire to exert control is strongly related to fear, specifically the fear of what might occur outside of our control.
Control Attempts Have a Negative Impact on Our Lives
The desire to control everything is natural, but it is not healthy. Trying to manage everything could backfire in a variety of ways in the long term. Let’s take a look at a few of the best.
Anxiety And Stress Have Increased
People who strive to control everything may be more stressed and anxious than others who do not. Simply feeling out of control when it feels essential might cause a person’s blood pressure to increase. According to one study, when things don’t go as planned, persons who feel the need to control suffer more than those who feel less need to control.
Dissatisfaction
Feeling the need for control and not having it might lead to dissatisfaction. “Subjects scoring high on a measure of a general desire for control reported higher degrees of discomfort and regarded the room as more crowded than subjects scoring low on the desire for control at both levels of density,” according to one study. The act of feeling a desire for control created a less pleasant circumstance for those who prioritized it over those who did not.
Additional Criticism
Because there is no way to control everything in life, being overly concerned with how events outside your control unfold might lead to heightened criticism of everything that occurs. After all, if you can’t control the outcomes you want, it’s natural to dislike them. Being more critical, in turn, might make us more neurotic, creating an endless and spiraling loop in which we become increasingly dissatisfied with our lives. Criticizing others can also be harmful to persons suffering from depression or anxiety, leading them to criticize themselves even more.
Also Read: How To Deal With Fear Of Being Happy?
