Learned Helplessness
…learned helplessness. It is a condition in which the person adapts to the misery because they feel that there is nothing they can do about it.
~Necessary Endings, Henry Cloud
Have you ever been in a situation that you could not change? I could probably give some examples here, but I imagine you can already relate. There are times in life when we just feel stuck. We feel like there’s nothing we can do, and there is no way out.
This past weekend, I shared one of my favorite Scriptures. It’s from Ezekiel 37, the Valley of the Dry Bones.
If you aren’t familiar with it, here’s a brief synopsis. The prophet Ezekiel gets taken out to a valley that is full of dry, scattered bones. The Lord tells him to speak to the bones, and they come back together, forming a great host of people, and then the breath/Spirit of the Lord enters these reformed people, and they come back to life.
At the end of the story, the Lord tells Ezekiel that these bones represent the people of Israel, who are currently in exile in Babylon. They feel hopeless, like there is no way out. And they are concerned that they will no longer exist in the pages of history because of these events.
This is one of my favorite stories because it’s a reminder that God can provide a way for God’s people. Look, I’m not saying that God makes the miraculous happen on a regular basis because I think we would all acknowledge that isn’t the truth. But this also doesn’t mean that God isn’t at work in ways that we can’t see.
When we experience depression in our lives, we feel like there isn’t a way out. But there is. We don’t have to be stuck in a cycle of depression. We can seek help. We can seek therapy. We can utilize medication and meditation. We can do things in our lives to help bring us out before it gets too bad. Of course, depression itself can prevent us from doing these things, which is why it often spirals. There are no easy answers here. I wish there were.
When we feel helpless, we can often just muddle through. We adapt to the situation. We think this is just how it has to be. But that’s not always the case. As Yoda tells Luke Skywalker, “You must unlearn what you have learned.” You don’t have to live a life of helplessness. There are people in your life ready to come alongside you and walk with you on the path.
