Why do we feel helpless? What causes helplessness? I’m usually independent but currently what makes me feel helpless is the state of the world. I know I can’t change the world by myself. But I can do something big or small to help the community. So, how can I give back? One way I give back is with this podcast. I search for topics that can help the listener ask introspective questions. The only one that has the answers to those questions would be the person asking them. I sometimes get those ah-ha moments, and I might have asked myself the same question many times. Sometimes, it’s just the phrasing of the question. The Cambridge Dictionary defines helplessness as: The feeling or state of being unable to do anything to help yourself of anyone else.
GoodTherapy.org: Feelings of helplessness can be fueled by trauma, grief, stress, mental health conditions, isolation, and many other factors.
“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” F Scott Fitzgerald.
“It takes courage to grieve, to honor the pain we carry. We can grieve in tears or in meditative silence, in prayer or in song. In touching the pain of recent and long-held griefs, we come face to face with our genuine human vulnerability, with helplessness and hopelessness. These are the storm clouds of the heart.” Jack Kornfield
“One of the biggest defects in life is the inability to ask for help.” Robert Kiyosaki
Asking for help is difficult, especially when you don’t know what to ask for. You just need help. I have found myself in this dilemma many times. Sometimes, just stating you need help will let others know you need help. I was once told when I asked for help that I surprised them because I needed help, since I usually look like I can do it all. I can’t, it isn’t possible.
A few suggestions I’ve tried on asking for help.
- Talk to someone you trust.
- Write it down. I wrote several books of poetry to get through my emotions.
- Meditation helped me be clearer minded, so that I can ask for what I needed.
- Always be kind to yourself. You are valuable. Know your worth.
The poem for this week is Frozen from Inspire Me: Raw and also in the compilation book Inspire Me Series: Book 1 and 2.
FROZEN
Sitting on a stoop in a barrio of Chicago
Summertime and everyone’s outside
Escaping sweltering heat from
Un-air-conditioned apartments
Everyone vocalizes in Spanish accents
Puerto Rican, Mexican—some Gypsies too
It’s Bucktown in the sixties
No attention to their surroundings
Cars breezing by—open windows
Giving relief to drivers
A two-year-old
Trotting down the sidewalk—Mom unaware
He steps out onto the street
Pounding heart—can’t speak!
I see, but no words
Feel guilty, but can’t move
He walks and hits side of moving car
Is thrown into the gutter
His mom screams, but he’s okay
Life continues. Reliving that moment…
I did nothing. I froze.
Many Blessings
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/helplessness
Our guest is Leon Conrad, an author, educator, and story structure consultant and author of the recently released book Story and Structure: A Complete Guide.
As I start season five, I give much thought to what this season is and I’ll call it life, because that is what happens when we are making plans. Life sometimes defies us, challenges us, yet what I have learned is that it teaches us to move forward and when we refuse to move forward is when we see and feel the challenges. I’ve learned to stop and ask why. Why am I going through this? What am I to learn? What is my lesson? I find life can be challenging when I want it to go in one direction, but that isn’t what my heart and soul wants.