Taking Back Control of my Life
By Anna Preston
I often feel that I am going through the motions, unable to determine the outcome of my day and letting uncontrollable circumstances get the better of me. If it’s cloudy out, it’s going to be a mediocre day. If I didn’t get enough sleep, it’s going to be an unproductive day. Even over winter break, I caught myself thinking that if I didn’t get out of bed early enough, my day was already completely wasted.
However, during my daily scroll on TikTok, I watch videos made by Eli Rallo, known as @thejarr. She’s a comedic genius and has convinced me that at 19 years old I have to go back to the American Girl Cafe. But also, she teaches me to go about my days with a refreshing mindset.
She has taught me to recognize the things I’m in control of. There are plenty of things in life that I can’t control, and there is no use in getting overly frustrated over those things. Every couple of days, she posts a reminder about things you are in control of on a given day. For example, in recent TikToks, she has noted how you can control what music you listen to, what food to eat, what messages you respond to, how much water you drink, how you move your body, and what time you get out of bed. Learning that I have control over a lot more than I realized makes me feel powerful.
I’ve even learned how to apply this principle to my emotions. I can’t control what happens to me, but I can control how I react to the situation. For instance, if I bomb an exam, it’s okay for me to cry about it. That’s normal and I’m only human. However, after getting that initial cry out, I can control how I react to failing. I can sit around and mope about it, or I can learn from my failure and work harder or try a new study strategy. Or, if I have a bad interaction with someone, I can’t control what they say or do, but I can control if I let them bother me. I have the power to simply let it go.
So, this mindset has enabled me to be more intentional with what I do on a daily basis. I can’t necessarily control everything that happens to me, but Eli taught me that I have a lot more of a say in my life than I noticed.
