Why I’m Opting For Optimism

While conducting research into burnout for my book (briefly, in between the more important tasks of scrolling social media and refining my Amazon cart), I came across an article about learned helplessness and it hit home hard.

Learned helplessness is the psychological state of feeling powerless to the point of giving up. It arises out of a belief that circumstances are beyond your control and it’s not worth trying to change your situation. It plays an integral part in many cases of burnout.

With the challenges we are facing right now through COVID-19 (job loss, grief, boredom, meaninglessness, overwhelming uncertainty, financial and emotional strain, etc.), learned helplessness is rife.

It’s not ‘acceptance’ of your situation in the empowering, Buddhist sense. Learned helplessness is throwing in the towel and getting out of the game.

It tends to happen when you feel like you have no control no matter what you do, on an ongoing basis. You decide that situations are too large for you to overcome, or you are doomed to fail again and again however hard you try. Hopeless and disheartened, you become resigned to failure or negative outcomes. This might be reflected in low self-esteem, no motivation, frustration, and pessimism.