How to deal with not having control?

Here comes the cliché... do you meditate? It sounds as if you're constantly fighting things, you're trying to mend them to fit you better. I think the more disconnected our civilization gets from the rest of the world around us, the more anxious we become because we feel so alone and out of control of the chaos around us.

My advice is this: meditate. When I was going through the worst anxiety of my life, mediation was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to be in control and make anxiety leave me from my own will. What I was doing was creating more havoc in the process instead of being with the chaos and realizing I am part of that. When I say I'm part of that, I mean, I affect the environment around me just as everyone else does and this is important because it gives you a sense of power. These sayings are touted everywhere about how you can choose to react or not, etc, but it's about the idea that you WILL react, and that's okay.

There's a part in the movie About Time where he can travel back in time (only through his time) and his dad tells him the secret to life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RxlJ2TdYPo

..."But then came part two of Dad's plan. He told me to live every day again almost exactly the same. The first time with all the tensions and worries that stop us noticing how sweet the world can be, but the second time noticing."

For more practical advice I would use what I mentioned above as a way to search for the positives in your work environment. It seems as if your coworkers and you are on the same page so use that to your advantage to get through to these managers. This can be a way for you to also find more structure by connecting with others around you that also find their lack of control unsettling. All of this can be hard at first, so try something like this 4-7-8 breathing technique when you get overwhelmed.

If all else fails, spend some time searching for a new job. This can help alleviate some anxiety and create some hopefulness, but do not just up and quit. Realize there are always other options.

/r/Anxiety Thread