"Is there a word for the feeling you have when trying to get a situation under control?"
Because I just had the thought that that is what I really like about some video games (like Dwarf Fortress, which completely sucks me in when things are going wrong, and bores me out of my skull when everything is peaceful), and learning new things (where I just get to a point that I'm decent at whatever, then feel "well the rest is just a matter of grinding forever and man that doesn't interest me at all").