08/11/2025
What you say to yourself regarding a “busted tire,” a newly discovered dent in your car door in a parking lot, or when a friend does not take your call, might determine your level of happiness and your susceptibility to pessimism and depression. Do you say “why does this always happen to me? This is the way it always is for me. It’s never going to change. I’m so stupid. I think God hates me.” These are the dreaded “3 Ps of Learned Helplessness,” where you are the cause (Personal) of the problem, it’s always going to be like this (Permanent), and your whole life is corrupted and damaged in all aspects (Pervasive). Whether you’re explanatory style is negative or positive will also affect your young children and influence their ability to handle disappointment, stress in their future, and whether or not they will succumb to depression. Our recent blowout driving back from Denver, Colorado was instructive. Because it’s not what happens, it’s what you do about it. It’s how you think about it. Philosopherdoc.com