How to Overcome Learned Helplessness

Today I talked to Yael Schonbrun about her book Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-Backed Strategies to Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm, and Grow Connection (Shambala, 2022).

The positive psychology movement and Buddhism have more than a little in common, as confirmed by Yael Schonbrun during this discussion of how to find synergy and richness in what might seem at times to be the utterly conflicting roles we play in life. Underlying this book’s twelve strategies is ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) with its emphasis on being in the moment, practicing acceptance, and diffusing (or unhooking) from perspectives that might be holding us back. Also of note in this discussion is the interplay between two core ingredients of happiness: meaningfulness and pleasure. To leverage those two ingredients while finding a way to move through learned helplessness (also known as emotional gridlock), listen is as Schonbrun offers advice derived from not only her academic readings but her real-life experiences with his patients, kids, larger family and friends alike.

Yael Schonbrun is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating relationships. She is also a cohost of the podcast Psychologists off the Clock, an assistant professor at Brown University, and a parent of three children.

Dan Hill, PhD, is the author of ten books and leads Sensory Logic, Inc. (https://www.sensorylogic.com). His latest two books are Blah Blah Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo and Emotionomics 2.0: The Emotional Dynamics Underlying Key Business Goals.

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