Learned Helplessness
As Alice said, it can be really easy to fall into everyday learned helplessness habits. These can have a more detrimental impact on your life, your self confidence and self belief than you might ever have considered. Learned helplessness is closely associated with higher levels of stress and depression so it is worth taking some time to reflect and identify any areas of your life where it might impact your mindset.
Martin Seligman identified some key traits of learned helplessness:
Becoming passive in the face of challenge
Low self esteem
Less persistence
Not asking for help
Low motivation
Increased stress levels
Not everyone is impacted by learned helplessness to the same degree. For some it may be small beliefs about your skills or abilities, for others it may dominate you mindset and attitude to life as a whole. Severe Learned Helplessness is highly associated with trauma, so being aware of the signs and symptoms can not only help you identify it in yourself but also in colleagues or pupils.
