Powerlessness in a modern age

In this modern age of AI, we are experiencing powerlessness at a greater rate. Without a sense of power and control over your life, you can drift into hopelessness, which increases the risk of depression. Without a sense of power and control, you can feel anxious and increase the risk of panic attacks. Powerlessness can also create a vicious cycle where you believe there is no point in trying because you do not influence your life, so you retreat and try less, which leads to more and more evidence of powerlessness.
 
What better way to respond to this risk to our mental health than to tap into our nervous system? As soon as we learn about the various states of our nervous system, and how we can respond in any given moment, we can feel a sense of power and control. Polyvagal theory is an easy concept that helps you learn about your nervous system, and it teaches us that we all go up and down our nervous system “ladder” throughout the day, depending upon the cues of safety and danger. For example, We might feel distant, detached, or spaced out when we are in the shutdown dorsal vagal state, or we might feel breathless and panicky, with racing thoughts when we are in the sympathetic state of “fight, flight or freeze.” Finally, we might feel safe and calm or connected to ourselves or others when we are in the ventral vagal state.
 
Knowing which state you are in is helpful, but knowing how to respond in any given state is a huge antidote to powerlessness. For example, when I feel detached in the dorsal vagal state of shutdown, I ground myself by using all my senses. I throw a ball up and down, noticing the contact the ball makes on my skin (and even exploring the stitching on the ball), or I tune my senses into the sound of my kids laughing, or even the feel of their toys.
 
Here I have set out some free resources that can help you in any given state. There are grounding exercises, breathing exercises, and mindfulness exercises, and the more you know, the less you will feel powerless.
 
I hope you find this useful.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Psychotherapist in Ridgewood, New Jersey
​Explore Transform LLC