Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well! I want to talk about control for this month. It has been a year since our lives have been affected by COVID-19. Many things have changed, and we have been trying our best to cope with it. For some, this change might be good. Maybe you have been working long hours and have not had time to rest at home. Working from home (WFH) is something you needed. But for others, WFH is not suitable for you or maybe you have had a pay cut or lost your job.
These situations have affected everyone. But, they affect people differently. For older adults, there is a worry about how they would provide for their families if there is no job stability. For children, it is the lack of interaction with their peers and not being able to play with their friends that may affect their social-emotional skills. For young adults, it could be the fear of never being financially stable that could have a domino effect on other things such as supporting parents, settling down with a partner, buying a house and having a comfortable life. These situations may cause anxiety to increase in an individual.
While it is good to plan for the future, we do not have 100% control over everything and we are not able to predict our future accurately. It is important to stay in the present moment and give our best while we wait to see how the future unfolds itself. We may have ten different worries and making decisions about the ten worries within a short period of time may cause us to make wrong decisions about it. It is important to take each day as it comes and solve one issue first before we come to a decision about other issues. For example, a young adult may have planned to get married by 28 years old and have their first child by 30 years old. This individual also planned to apply for a BTO flat and purchase a car soon. But, because of a pay cut and an unstable career, the individual reaches an anxious state where they feel they may never be ready for any big changes in life because of financial issues and decides to be single.
When plans change, it is normal to think about other alternatives. But, it is important to let go of control and work on one issue first before making important decisions about other issues. What this individual should do instead is to focus on his or her career first. The individual should look for other job options or learn a new skillset that would increase job stability. This will take time. But, when you focus on one issue at a time and resolve it, it will help other areas in your life.
During this time, it is important to know what you can control and what you cannot. When you realise that there are things you cannot control, it does not mean you need a major shift in plans or to abandon everything. All you have to do is work on the main issue first and give it some time before you get back to the other issues. Either time would have resolved your other issues, or you will have a better focus when you focus on worries one at a time.
