An excerpt from Nick Wignall’s blog:
For some people, these tendencies briefly give the illusion of control and serve to distract from the core anxiety of not being in control of your own mortality. But like all forms of denial, the side effects are never worth it in the long run…
From chronic stress to strained relationships, we pay a heavy price for the illusion of control.
The trick is to face up to the fact that you simply have far less control than you would like and that there’s not really much you can do about it. And while this might feel depressingly defeatist, I’ll think you’ll find it actually is quite liberating and relieving.
It’s hard to realize how much energy you’re putting into trying to control everything until you finally let go.
If you want to learn more about control issues and how to actually come to terms with your mortality and finite time, check out this podcast interview I did with Oliver Burkeman about his book Four Thousand Hours: Time Management for Mortals:
Existential Time Management with Oliver Burkeman
