lostandlonely2 Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 I know I have a lot of bad luck - my own mother even laughs at me at how bad it is at times... but my question is: I don't really actually believe in 'luck' or 'curses' or 'angels' or 'spirits' that protect you (or hurt you) but I can honesty logically say that I have more 'bad luck' than any of my friends or family - so, is there a mental symptom for feeling like you have bad luck (beside feeling sorry for yourself!) such as depression? anxiety? PTSD? (which I have been told I have from an abusive childhood) or something else...? Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 Lucky people feel lucky. There is a bit of self fulfilling prophecy going on. If you think you are going to be unlucky, any bad thing that happens supports & reinforces your theory. There is something to the "The Secret" and the power of positive thinking. Try to stop considering yourself unlucky & see what happens. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
devilish innocent Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 I'd say in psychological terms it means you probably have an "external locus of control". This means you feel like you are not responsible for what happens to you, but that forces outside your control are always going to effect how things turn out for you. If you have too much of this, it can be unhealthy as you end up feeling helpless. The examples you gave of depression, anxiety, PTSD are disorders. "Locus of control" is considered more of a personality trait rather than a disorder, but it does make you more prone to develop depression or anxiety. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Hoosfoos Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 There is something to the "The Secret" and the power of positive thinking. Try to stop considering yourself unlucky & see what happens. "The Secret", LMAO. So just ask a starving child in a war zone whose parents have been killed to think positive and their life will turn around, right? Link to post Share on other sites
Author lostandlonely2 Posted April 9, 2017 Author Share Posted April 9, 2017 Thanks, everyone... I do feel like 'things are out of my control', but when I consciously try to do something 'good', something 'bad' happens... I guess I am just 'bad' at what I do?!? lol Anyway, I understand the positive effects of 'thinking' you're lucky - it is true you see more opportunities when you feel you are lucky, but it is just hard to do that when everything goes wrong everyday... Anyway, thanks again! Great food for thought... I just took an online test in 'Locus of control' and literally got a 'middle-of-the-road' 50/100 mark - exactly right in the middle! lol My diagnosis was: You have a mixed attribution style when it comes to success. Sometimes you interpret your success as a result of your skills, intelligence, nice personality, etc. Other times, you attribute it to external factors, such as luck, ease of task, or other people's help. As a consequence, you don't always take the credit you deserve. Your self-esteem, motivation, and general well-being would most likely be improved if you realized that you actively influence positive events in your life. Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 "The Secret", LMAO. So just ask a starving child in a war zone whose parents have been killed to think positive and their life will turn around, right? It's not magic. It's about appreciation & perspective. It's also about working to effect change. If you wake up & think today will be a good say you are more likely to have a good day then if you roll out of bed assuming everything will go wrong. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
carnelian Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Yes I believe in luck though it is a vague ambiguous concept. We have luck in different areas of life from romance to genetics, etc. The fact is we never know just how lucky or unlucky we are, totally, because we will never know what might have happened or could have happened. Luck is a matter of degree. Luck will change as you age. When bad things happen, we say it is bad luck because we don't want to feel responsible. More likely, it is a series of causes and effects, partly freely chosen and partly beyond your control. "Some guys have all the luck"-----Rod Stewart's song. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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