7 Easy Ways to Regain Control of Your Life when You Feel You've Lost It All ...

1. De-clutter

You are never going to have control of your life in any way if you are surrounded by clutter and piles of stuff that you feel you can’t get rid of or sort through, unpack or throw away. If your desk is starting to look like the inside of your handbag, you may need to take stock of where you are going. If your house is starting to look worse than the day you moved in or if you have dedicated rooms for stuff that you are going to use one day – it’s time to find ways to take control. Start small, start with the desk, move to one room and systematically de-clutter your life.

2. Skip the Chardonnay

Having a glass or two or three or more of wine every night when you get home from work to unwind? You will find that habit increases more and more until you are plugging back more than a bottle every night and it is habits like these that will not help you have any control of your life. You may not feel hung over in the mornings, but your productivity will go down along with your enthusiasm, and your decisions will start revolving around how you are going to get the next glass of bubbly. If you are a social drinker then be so on weekends and limit yourself to a few glasses during the week; your health, family and your figure will love you for it.

3. Make a List

If you feel like you are spiraling out of control, frantically busy all day but not actually managing to accomplish anything, then one of the ways you can take back control of your life is to make a list. Every morning sit down with a cup of coffee, a pen and paper, and just take a few minutes, uninterrupted if you can, and jot down the things that you will need to do that day and prioritize them in order of importance. And as you go through the day, tick off the items in your list. You may still be busy, but this way you will actually get things done.

4. Set Goals

One of the ways you take control of your life is to set goals, make a map for where you want to go and how you think you might get there. Lay them down on paper, making 2 sets of goals: short term – 3 months; and long term – 5 years or more. You will be surprised at how many of these things you will accomplish when they are logged down on a list, rather than if they were floating around in your head with nowhere to go. Visit the lists regularly and make changes as you need to. You will be impressed with yourself when you see what you have done. Achieving your goals is a clear indicator of being in control of your life.

5. Count Your Blessings

Jealousy and anger at what other people have occur when you count other people's blessings instead of counting your own. If you are constantly focused on what other people have and what you don’t, you will never be able to have control over your life. Be thankful and grateful for what you have – your health, an education, a job, a partner, a family and a warm bed to sleep in at night. Just because you don’t drive the latest SUV or have the latest pair of Louboutins, doesn’t mean you are not blessed. Envy will rob you of a rich life and you will never feel as if you are in control of anything if you are always watching someone else. You forget to see what you have right in front of you.

6. Face the Change

Ask yourself what is happening in your life that is making you feel like you don’t have any control over it. Write down all of the aspects in your life that you would like to change and those you need to change in order to have the life you want. This is not an easy task to do, but it is one of the best ways to take control of your life. Acknowledge that there are things that need to change in order for you to enjoy your life, face them head on and create the life you really want.

7. Do Some Exercise

There is no better way to feel good so quickly and get out of a funk so fast than to get out into Mother Nature’s gym and walk, run, swim, play a game of volleyball on the beach, play tennis with a friend or do a yoga class. You will immediately feel good, and in no time at all you will start to look good and then before you know it, you will look great. Make exercise a priority at the start of each day and you will find that this is one of the best ways to take control of your life again.

Remember though, ladies, without the right mindset, even all the best ways to take control won’t get you what you want. Taking control is as much attitude as it is action. Have an eye on the end game, but gear yourself up to achieve the benchmarks along the way. It’s not a 3-minute thrash in the wrestling ring; control is a game of chess – it needs a strategy! If you’re looking for ways to take control, I hope you found some inspiration here. Do you have any tips to share or maybe a personal story of how you took control of your life?