Most of the time, when I am feeling truly powerless, it is because of an emotional flashback. As a child, I was powerless. And sometimes, things in the present trigger those past powerless feelings.

For me, it means I cannot do anything to change a situation, and it feels hopeless. I feel out of control and panicked. I catastrophize and imagine that the worst is going to happen. Sometimes, as a result, I will try to over-control other things, to feel like I am in control of something. Overall, I hate powerlessness.