-learned helplessness is a mental state where someone who is forced to bear repeated adverse situations, becomes unable or unwilling to avoid these situations
-this happens because past experiences have made them believe they don’t have the ability to avoid them, essentially, they’ve trained themselves (and their brain) to believe they have no control over the situation, and so they don’t even try
-filling our minds with limiting beliefs of what we’re able to achieve (or not) is dangerous, it generates a cycle of self-defeatist thinking, and when caught in the middle of this cycle, your motivation and overall productivity will inevitably start to suffer
Method 1-adopt an optimistic explanatory style
-you need to first identify your characteristic explanatory style, this refers to how you explain the events that happen in your day-to-day, the patterns of this are tightly linked to learned helplessness, it all comes down to differences in optimism vs pessismism
-psychologists believe that you can change learned helplessness behavior by changing the way you look at the causes of events in your life, this is known as explanatory style
-your explanatory style can be characterized in three ways
1 internal vs external (personal)
-this is how you explain the cause of an event, and where you attribute the “responsibility”, a person who classifies an event as internal will see themselves as the cause, rather than an external factor
2 stable vs temporary (permanent)
-this is the explanation of the lifespan of an event and whether the experience of the event will have permanent effects or not
3 global vs specific (pervasive)
-this is how we explain the context of an event, whether the situation is consistent across all environments or specific to one environment
Method 2-the ABC method for reframing negative situations, the step-by-step process to strengthen your optimistic thinking
A-adversity
-describe the event that happened, here leave out any evaluations or judgements, simply put a description to the event that happened in a way that’s as unemotional as possible
B-belief
-explain how adversity was interpreted, not how you think it ought to be, but what your default belief/interpretation was
C-consequence
-think about the feelings and actions that result from these beliefs, go back with a level of introspection and ask yourself how you handled things, dig deep, how and when do those emotions/feelings lead to certain behaviors and actions
D-disputation
-do you have any grounds to dispute these automatic reactions? what are the possible repercussions of following through on those emotions? think about whether there are greater benefits to moving on from the situation and stopping that baseline (often impulsive) response in its tracks
E-energization
-this is the last step that’s done when successful disputation occurs, did you manage to turn things around? put all your focus on the positive feelings that ensued as a result of reframing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. ask yourself, what’s different between how I just handled this situation versus how I would normally handle it? relish in those personal rewards
Method 3-use the SMART method to feel in control
S-specific
M-measurable
A-achievable
R-realistic
T-timely
-you are in control
-psychological research has shown that a belief that failure is beyond your control or that a situation is unlikely to change, is associated with worse performance and lower self-efficacy
-one way you can accomplish this is through active goal setting, goal setting has been shown to increase behavior change as it increases your desire to act in a particular way (motivation), setting reasonable goals that are likely to be achieved, will provide the sense of control over your outcomes-especially as you begin to meet those goals on a consistent basis
-SMART goal method-
-specific-
-it’s important to be completely aware of what it is you want to achieve
-what is it exactly that I want to achieve? list concrete, tangible outcomes
-where is this going to happen? give names, locations, cities, etc
-when am I going to make this happen? give specific dates and timelines, work backwards
-who is going to be involved? give names and others to lean on
-how am I going to make this happen? lay out a detailed strategy, tactic, and plan
-why do I want to reach this goal? tie it into your bigger vision for yourself, these relate to your principles, values, missions-the things that you stay true to
-measurable-
-helps your brain feel a sense of control
-make it easy to determine where you stand with your progress
-help refine exactly what it is you want
-micro goal-setting improves the likelihood that each stage will be accomplished
-achievable-
-is your goal achievable and realistic?
-is the target goal you made achievable?
-what will happen if you fall short of this goal?
-consider any restraints or obstacles you may face and whether you’ll be able to overcome them
-relevant-
-this is where you sit and determine how relevant the goal is to you
-will it be fulfilling to you as an individual?
-also figure out how your goals fit with your other plans and things set for your life
-timed-
-set a timeline/deadline for this goal
-establish a time frame, set a deadline or a time for completion
-set benchmarks-this will keep you motivated and makes your progress more measurable
-continue to check in between the present and the future
The BPD Group 