Overcoming Learned Helplessness
As children, we were helpless to change our fate. We were abused and neglected so severely that our minds did a marvelous thing; it splintered into alters to share our burden. As adults, we often find ourselves in positions where the abuse continues, and we do not leave or seek a better life for ourselves.
This article will take a hard look at learned helplessness.
What is Learned Helplessness
Learned helplessness begins in childhood and often is linked to childhood abuse and neglect that is repeated. The disorder is believing that you cannot escape a negative situation, which causes you to feel helpless.
Learned helplessness involves a mental state that happens when you have experienced stressful situations repeatedly, causing you to believe you cannot change your condition. You may not try to change the problem if you live with learned helplessness. You are like a bird in a cage whose door is wide open, but you choose to remain trapped with what you know.
Some symptoms that are commonly associated with the disorder include:
· Failing to ask for help.
· Low-self esteem
· Feeling out of control of your situation
· A decrease in motivation
