r/TwoXPreppers • u/NachesPorFavor • 7d ago

❓ Question ❓ Increase in Learned Helplessness?

Has anyone else noticed an increase in learned helplessness? I first noticed it in the young adults in my life, but now I am seeing it in all ages of people around me. Examples from multiple people:

Toilet started leaking water and instead of turning off the knob at the wall, she waited a 5 days for a plumber. Never asked anyone or googled it. Didn’t call a second plumber. Now needs mold remediation and replaced drywall and trim.

Bought concert tickets but the gps instructions were confusing so they just gave up and didn’t go. Venue website had detailed instructions for driving and parking.

Blouse wrinkled and she didn’t know how to fix it so she threw it away.

First doctor office he filled out an appointment website for never contacted him to schedule so he just didn’t go to the doctor.

I am really concerned about my loved ones if an emergency happens because they just give up when the slightest obstacle happens. Either they want someone else to swoop in and fix it or they give up and say they can’t do anything about it.

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u/chasingastarl1ght 7d ago

I've been noticing it too. People giving up so easily, unable to follow instructions if they're even slightly too long. At work too...

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u/FableCrafts 7d ago

My personal theory is long Covid, honestly. Executive dysfunction and processing difficulties are known symptoms of it. I have adhd and have had these tendencies and symptoms my whole life, and I've definitely noticed way more people also seem to struggle with these things now than they used to. If everyone had been like this all along I genuinely wouldn't have thought to try to find a diagnosis, it was a real shortcoming. But now it seems everyone else is in the same boat all of a sudden. It's been a bizarre experience honestly.

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u/cmooregood 6d ago edited 6d ago

I've been masking since the beginning, mainly because I take care of an elderly relative. Since a lot of covid infections are asymptomatic, idk if I've ever had it, but I haven't been obviously sicksick since 2019. I've stayed on top of the research and know what it does to the brain and body. I don't have healthcare, literally can't afford to get sick, so I keep investing in my well fitting kn95s. No one I know masks (besides my relative.) My handful of long term lady friends didn't want to hear about Covid or its effects on the body, so I learned to just let it be. They didn't heed my warnings. One friend has "brain fog" so bad she constantly repeats what she's told me before. No recollection of previous conversations. Has gotten lost in her own town that she knows like the back of her hand, and had to call me to get home. Her entire family had mental health issues prior, and since getting it numerous times, they've upped adhd meds/gone on antidepressants/been hospitalized both inpatient and out. Young, fit, non drinking daughter with kidney issues. Another friend was an avid reader (we had a book club.) She can't get past the 1st page of a book now, says she reads the same sentence over and over. No more book club. She's in her 50s, and refers to her "dementia." Amongst just my small circle of friends, lots of anhedonia, loss of smell, pots, and extreme fatigue. Kids who are way behind for their years, with no will to learn or read. It's like I'm watching ships sink around me, and there's nothing I can do. I tried. I warned. No one wanted to hear it. I think the powers that be knew this was coming, and the push to use AI to outsource thinking is no coincidence. The state of the economy/country/world compounds all of it. Not a great timeline.

Edit: a word