Autonomy and Loss of Control

What happens when you no longer hold the steering wheel

Dilruba glances at her phone.
Another schedule change.

No consultation. No explanation. Just updated.

She exhales slowly. It’s the third time this week. She had just arranged her personal plans—a small window to recover, to breathe. Now everything shifts again.

At first, it was just inconvenient.
Now, something deeper is changing.

She’s more irritable. Sleep comes in fragments. Even on her days off, a quiet tension follows her—persistent, undefined.

What drains her most isn’t the workload.
It’s the absence of control.

When work becomes something you endure

We often assume work stress is caused by too much to do. Too many tasks, too little time.

But that’s only part of the story.

The real pressure often comes from something less visible:
a lack of control.

Research consistently shows that when people have little say in how they perform their work—how, when, and at what pace—the risk of psychological strain increases significantly (Too et al., 2020).

It’s not just the demands that matter.
It’s the degree of influence you have over them.

Where pressure turns into strain

In his Job Demand–Control model, Karasek (1979) identified a critical dynamic: stress intensifies when high demands are paired with low decision latitude.

Put simply:
you’re expected to deliver, but not allowed to decide.

This is where strain takes hold.

Dilruba is capable. Experienced. Committed.
But when decisions are repeatedly made without her input, something shifts. Her energy doesn’t disappear all at once—it erodes.

What replaces it is frustration.
And, gradually, a sense of powerlessness.

The quiet path to burnout

This kind of strain rarely announces itself loudly.

It starts subtly—irritation, fatigue, restlessness.
Over time, it can evolve into anxiety or depression.

Rennie et al. (2006) found that these mental health factors play a significant role in long-term sickness absence. Not because people are incapable of doing their jobs, but because they no longer feel agency within them.

That distinction matters.

Work without control doesn’t just feel demanding.
It feels futile.

Autonomy is not optional

Autonomy is often framed as a benefit—something desirable, but not essential.

In reality, it is foundational.

When people experience autonomy:

they engage more deeply
they take ownership
they sustain energy over time

Remove that autonomy, and disengagement follows. Quietly at first, then more visibly.

Dilruba hasn’t stopped caring.
But her connection to the work is beginning to loosen.

Reclaiming influence

Not everything can be controlled. That’s a given.

Organizational decisions. Staffing constraints. System pressures.

But there is almost always a smaller domain that remains within reach.

And that is where recovery begins.

Stephen Covey’s concept of the Circle of Influence offers a simple, practical lens:

The outer circle: concerns you cannot directly change
The inner circle: actions, choices, and responses that are yours

The principle is straightforward:
where attention goes, energy follows.

Shifting focus—even slightly—can restore a sense of movement.

A subtle but critical shift

Dilruba may not be able to change the system overnight.

But she might:

initiate a conversation
set clearer boundaries
align expectations with her team
ask for predictability where possible

These are not sweeping solutions.
But they are acts of agency.

And agency interrupts helplessness.

How you drive

Work—and life—rarely unfold under ideal conditions.

There will be delays, disruptions, and forces beyond your control.

You cannot change the weather.
But you can change how you drive.

Adjust your speed.
Stay aware.
Choose your response.

That is where autonomy resides—not in controlling everything, but in navigating what you cannot control.

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In Doing What Matters – Resilient Working with ACT, I share insights and practical tools to help you work with greater meaning, calm, and resilience—especially when life or work becomes challenging.

Doing What Matters is available through major online bookstores, and via the publisher’s website Brave New Books.

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Source photo: AvO