Something that’s Easier Said than Done: Letting go.
An idea many people have trouble with is giving up control, letting go of restrictions and rules that we put in place to give the semblance of order amid chaos. The reality of what people deem "chaotic" is typically not; instead, it is when life continues without conforming to the rules humans create to restrict the flow of nature. Giving up control is hard; it takes willpower, determination, and acceptance.
I have a hard time letting go. I love to be in control of my surroundings, events, and moments in time that are completely out of my hands. I need to feel like I can manipulate a day's seconds, minutes, and hours. Still, an omnipresent construct is untamable and far too abstract to be confined or restricted. Control can be equated to damming a river or stream. If the river overflows, that dam will surely crack; when it does, all those living around it will drown. You cannot control nature because nature will most certainly find a way to control you.
Hence, the most powerful form of control is the ability to give up control entirely and willingly. Doing so gives life a chance to ebb and flow, much like the river, without the restraints we put in place. Our desperate need for control and power prevents us from living life as it was intended to be lived. We force ourselves to be tortured by constraints we place on ourselves and, subconsciously, on others. The beauty of being human is our ability to live and share experiences. To cherish and truly value these moments, we must also be able to live in the present and let go. There are so many factors at play that prevent us from being able to do something quintessential to the human experience, from social media to norms we've constructed.
Understanding and learning how to break down these restrictions slowly breaks away social foundations, which inherently force us to yearn for a sense of control. To reclaim a healthy sense of awareness and control is to understand yourself, your needs, and what you value. Other people and the affairs of the outside world are not things you can control, and believing you can change how they function is naive and unnecessary. So, rather than desiring a false sense of control, work to find balance and power within yourself. The only thing you have control over is you. Your brain, the way you think, how you appear, and how you behave are the only things you, the individual, can control. Anything else beyond those few things is beyond your control threshold, which is alright.