How To Cope With Things You Can’t Control

If life feels heavy right now, you’re not alone. I’m hearing from more and more clients, friends, and fellow business owners who are feeling overwhelmed by things beyond their control.

Whether it’s how your business or bank balance is performing, personal challenges, or the state of the world, uncertainty seems to be everywhere, just waiting to mess with your mindset. It can leave you questioning everything, and that’s a scary place to be.

“Everyone else is smashing it—maybe it’s just me.” Sound familiar? It’s easy to assume you’re the problem, but it’s not true. Life in the UAE is supercharged, with new people relocating all the time. There’s real energy here, and the fast pace allows you to achieve things quicker than you might have been able to back home. But with more opportunities come more competition. The online space is crowded, making it harder to stand out. Plus, it’s tough to separate fact from fiction when scrolling through others' successes.

Reputation, credibility, and connection are everything. So, the pressure to create a clear identity, build meaningful relationships, and run a financially viable business (hello, cost of living!) becomes even more intense.

And it’s not just about work - our personal and professional lives are deeply intertwined. If you’re dealing with something on a personal level, it’s going to affect how you show up in your business. That’s just the reality. Pushing through like nothing is going on usually makes things worse, not better. Life is uncertain. Business is uncertain. Fact. No one knows what’s coming next and the only thing we can ever truly control is ourselves.

When things get too much, the temptation can be to give up. However, now is not the time to throw it all away. These are the moments when we should learn how to make different choices to support ourselves practically and emotionally.

If they feel out of control, most people default to doing more. They go into overdrive, clinging harder, working longer, overthinking decisions, aiming for perfection, or trying to fix everything at once. It’s a natural survival response, essentially fear in disguise. But it rarely helps. In fact, it usually creates more noise, stress, and confusion. Fear and panic become the energy you carry, dictating how you behave. Many of the women I work with feel the weight of holding everything together without dropping the ball. Instead of slowing down to reassess, they speed up and burn out.

More effort doesn’t always mean more progress. So, how do we redirect the fear? Instead of defaulting to doing more, sometimes the most effective thing you can do is shift your focus. Reprioritise. Ask yourself: What do I actually need right now to lead well? Because if you’re not okay, your business won’t be either.

This doesn’t mean shutting everything down or walking away. It means giving yourself permission to prioritise your wellbeing, especially when life throws curveballs your way. Some of the strongest results I’ve seen with clients have come when they stopped trying to power through and started supporting themselves better.

When you feel clearer, more grounded, and more in charge of your own wellbeing, your business benefits.

The key takeaway: It’s not about controlling more, it’s about leading yourself differently.Sometimes, the best thing you can do is pause, regroup, and reset. You can’t control market trends or client decisions, but you can control how you show up, how you spend your time, how you communicate your value, who you surround yourself with, and how you manage your energy. You can control your boundaries, your habits, your calendar, your messaging, your pricing, and your response to setbacks.

You control your input, but you don’t control the outcome. Realising this and learning to detach is liberating. It means your efforts are focused where they matter.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck in overdrive, try the following:

1. Create space in the pause

During periods of uncertainty, our default is to react. Even our thinking becomes reactive. One of the most powerful things you can do is pause, even if it’s just for a few extra seconds. Take a breath, give yourself space to notice what’s going on before you respond. It’s in that tiny pause that better decisions are made.

2. Reconnect to what truly matters

When you’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to get caught in the day-to-day noise. This is the moment to zoom out and remind yourself: What are you really working towards? What’s actually important right now? Getting back in touch with your bigger picture helps cut through the chaos.

3. Set boundaries that protect you and your business

Boundaries aren’t just about time; they’re about energy, focus, and sustainability. In times of uncertainty, you need space to look after yourself and keep the business moving forward. When we try to control everything, we get busy, not productive; the two are not the same. Boundaries help us be intentional about where our attention goes and what we say yes to.

4. Don’t try to carry it all

Uncertainty can cloud your thinking. It can make you feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t have it all figured out. That’s not true. The best way to realise this is to ask for help or support. Talk to someone you trust, find your safe space to admit the challenges you’re facing. Get support sooner rather than later. You don’t have to do it all by yourself.

// Shelley Bosworth, Business Mindset Coach and Founder of the She is Courageous Collective