For the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to put my finger on the heavy weight that some days seems lodged somewhere in my stomach, and on other days in my chest. Most of us can relate to this feeling. For some, like me, it’s currently being triggered by the seemingly nonstop global tragedies and injustices; for others, it could be anxiety over paying bills or a bad relationship that we feel powerless to improve. It could also be a result of not knowing how to find reprieve from a deep personal pain or grief we’re harbouring.
Some psychologists say that the feeling of helplessness we experience after repeated life stressors or trauma is actually learnt. That if we face an onslaught of difficulties, which seem to happen through no fault of our own, we start to believe that we lack agency in determining how our lives turn out, and we’re tempted to give up trying. Sometimes the effect is that we withdraw emotionally from circumstances and events, and lack the motivation to even consider small ways within our control that may help alleviate or change whatever it is we are going through.