Why can't you let go of control, even when you know you can't change a thing? It's not stubbornness, and the real reason is more interesting than you'd expect. You've heard "accept what you can't control" a hundred times, and it's genuinely good advice. So why does it so rarely work when it matters? In this week's episode of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, I'm exploring why letting go of control is so much harder than it sounds and what the advice leaves out. You'll come away understanding what's really going on, with practical ways to loosen your grip that don't involve just pretending you don't care.

👉 Ready to discover how to let go of control, even when it feels impossible? Then let's talk!

💡 TL;DR: Everyone says, “Just let go!”… but why is letting go so much harder the more something matters to you?

ℹ️ Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin is about practical mental health advice for real life; each week I help you understand and improve your mental wellbeing with simple mental health tips that actually work, drawing on my professional expertise as a counsellor and my personal experience living with anxiety and depression. Welcome, and let's talk!

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps:

0:00 Control and mental health

0:45 Can you let go of control?

2:47 What holding onto control looks like

8:11 Why you hold on to control

13:36 How to start letting go of control

26:22 What I want you to take away

📝 Transcript & show notes: https://ltamh.com/?p=21709

📖 Buy my book 'Life Advice That Doesn't Suck': https://jeremygodwin.com.au/latds/

📍 Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jeremygodwin

➕ Related episodes:

Protecting your peace (Episode 354): https://ltamh.com/?p=21557

Why your stress never switches off (Episode 291): https://ltamh.com/?p=17492

Why navigating uncertainty feels so difficult (Episode 355): https://ltamh.com/?p=21664

📚 Research mentioned in this episode:

Grief rumination: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9291980/

Letting go of unreachable goals: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15018681/

"If only" thinking after loss: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005791626000182

👋 New here?

Hi! I'm Jeremy Godwin, writer and counsellor plus the host of the Let's Talk About Mental Health podcast, your weekly dose of practical advice for better mental health. I share straightforward tips to help you protect your peace and improve your mental health, with new episodes every Sunday.

🔗 Links:

Let's Talk About Mental Health website: https://ltamh.com

Coaching program: https://ltamh.com/programs

Subscribe for free show notes/transcripts in your inbox: https://ltamh.com/subscribe/

My Digital Store: https://ltamh.com/shop/

Daily Reflection Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/daily-reflection/

Daily Affirmations Tool: https://ltamh.com/product/affirmations/

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ltamh

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltamentalhealth/

Mental health resources: https://ltamh.com/resources/

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