What is Perceived Control and Why It’s Crucial for Mental Health

Have you ever had the feeling that you are losing control of your life or that no matter what you try, nothing ever seems to work out? On the other hand, perhaps you can recall times when you had complete control over your destiny and your efforts directly resulted in achievement. Psychologists refer to these instances as “perceived control—the belief that one can influence the events and outcomes in his or her life.” More than just an idea, perceived control has a significant influence on how we move around the world. It influences how we handle difficulties, how hard we work to find solutions, and—above all—how we feel about our lives and ourselves. 

Perceived Authority 

The easiest way to define perceived control is as the degree of control we think we have over events. Two types of perception can be distinguished: 

• Perceived internal control is the conviction that I am in command.
• People who have a strong sense of internal control believe that their decisions, activities, and efforts have an impact. 

The idea that everything is controlled by outside forces, such as fate, luck, or other people, is known as external perceived control. People with a stronger external locus of control think that even if they did something, it wouldn’t change anything. Both types can coexist within us, and how they are balanced typically relies on our background, experiences, and other factors. We now have a better understanding of how these beliefs affect our mental and emotional health thanks to psychologists like Albert Bandura, who is well-known for his research on self-efficacy (the belief in one’s ability to succeed), and Julian Rotter, who developed the idea of the locus of control.

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Why is mental health affected by perceived control?

This is when things start to get interesting. Can you fathom attempting to change something that you truly do not influence over in this life, like the weather or your friend’s attitude? You come to the realisation that there isn’t much you can accomplish the more you try. Perceived control is relevant here, particularly about mental health. It’s about how we handle the hiccups and disappointments of life.

Handling Stress Who didn’t anticipate that abrupt story twist? Life will throw you curveballs. However, it’s a game-changer if you believe you have power over how you react to stress. For example, if you think you have no control over traffic, you’re likely to become irritated and anxious. But all of a sudden, you feel a little more in control of how you react (for example, by turning on a podcast or deep breathing exercises). You have successfully transformed the traffic into a game, but it hasn’t suddenly vanished.

Read More: How to Handle Work Stress and Avoid Leaving Your Job?

Avoiding a Severe Depressive Episode 

Feelings of powerlessness can easily take over when we believe we have no control. Perceived control can save your life at this point. People who think they can improve their circumstances are less likely to feel depressed. Instead of feeling like a victim of their situation, someone who believes in internal control, for instance, may attempt to address their issues head-on. It’s similar to knowing that you have an umbrella, rain boots, and a good strategy in place, even in the event of a severe storm. 

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Resilience: Get Back Up Like a Pro 

One essential component of resilience—the capacity to get back up after life knocks you down—is perceived control. Imagine being knocked down during a dodgeball match. You’re far more likely to jump back in, avoid the next ball, and possibly even surprise the opposing team if you think you can get back up and keep going. You’ll likely stay down, though, if you feel that you’re destined to get hit repeatedly.

How to Feel More in Control of Your Life Without Going Crazy 

1. Solving Issues

Act Like a Detective Consider life’s challenges as puzzles to be solved rather than as monsters to be defeated. Divide it up into manageable chunks and concentrate on the ones you can manage. Even if you might not be able to alter the entire circumstance, you can always make modest, intentional changes to make things better. 

2. Rewire Your Brain Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

You learn to reframe those pessimistic, “I-can’t-do-this” thinking using cognitive behavioural therapy. Try asking yourself, “What’s one thing I can do right now to move forward?” instead of, “I’m powerless,” whenever you find yourself thinking that. It’s similar to updating your brain software to deal with life’s hiccups more easily. 

3. Being Mindful

Accept the Chaos You can’t control everything, so sometimes you simply have to let go and accept things as they are. You can navigate the storm without losing your mind if you practise mindfulness. Let everything else fall into place and concentrate on the here and now, such as the fragrance of your coffee or the feel of your shoes as you walk on the pavement. 

Establish Reachable Objectives

One Action at a Time This will only lead to failure and chaos. Rather, make tiny, achievable goals and acknowledge your progress. Every accomplishment matters in life, whether it’s finishing a task at work or just getting out of bed after a difficult day. Give yourself credit for it, of course! Avoid trying to control everything because of the over-control conundrum.

The secret is that it’s too much control. Too much, actually. Anxiety, fatigue, and dissatisfaction can result from trying to micromanage every part of your life. Have you ever attempted to exert total control over someone else’s emotions or circumstances? In most cases, it doesn’t work and is exhausting. Feeling empowered is not the same as feeling overloaded by irrational expectations.

Knowing what to control and when to let go is necessary to maintain a healthy sense of perceived control. Consider it similar to a game of chess. You can plan and manage your next movements, but you won’t see the wider picture if you spend the entire game attempting to control every piece at once.

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Conclusion

Life is like riding a rollercoaster; there are times when you have no idea what’s going to happen next. Particularly when things start to get rough, if you’re like most people, you probably wish you could steer the ship. Although we cannot control everything, such as when your phone dies at the most inconvenient time, we do have power over how we respond to it.

Perceived control thus becomes important. It’s not about having the ability to instantly solve problems; rather, it’s about realising that you have a lot of control over how you react when things become very out of control. It’s similar to being a ship’s captain during a storm; while you may not be able to halt the waves, you can guide the vessel through them.

I’m not advocating that you attempt to control every event that occurs; in fact, part of what makes life fascinating is its unpredictable nature. Laughing at the messiness and accepting it is the best we can do at times. After all, life would be a little too…boring if we had complete control over everything, wouldn’t it? Therefore, let’s accept life’s peculiarities and acknowledge that, although we cannot control everything, we can always manage how we react. And sometimes that’s all it takes to transform turmoil into something that strengthens and fortifies us.