AUTHOR: Dr Susan Palmer
Asking for help can be hard – we get that. But it is also part of being human.
We will all need help at some point in our lives and we could all get better at asking for it.
So often people tell us how uncomfortable they feel asking for help. They tell us they don’t want to put others out, how they don’t think their situation ‘deserves’ the help of others or how they don’t want others to think they can’t cope.
While these are common thoughts and feelings – they are at complete odds with the feedback we hear from friends and family who desperately want to help the people they care about and are so thankful that Gather My Crew makes it easy for them to know when and how they can provide meaningful support.
So next time a thought like this enters your head, here are a few things we would like you to remember…
- Knowing you need help and then confidently reaching out for it – shows strength of character. It is not a sign of weakness.
- Asking for help is a skill. We must learn this skill – and then we need to practice it over and over again before we become good at it.
- People who care about you can feel helpless when you are going through a tough time. It is better for them to be given a task to do than to be left feeling unable to do anything.
- It does not need to be a huge act of help to make a big difference. It is the buildup of small things that can tip us over the edge when under stress. Consider off-loading some of these small tasks to the people around you.
- People lead busy lives. Even though it feels awful when you ask someone for help and they are not able to provide it – try not to take it personally.
- If you won’t ask for yourself – do it for others. Time and again we have been told that being able to provide practical help to someone you care about is a ‘gift’.
- What goes around, comes around’. Yes, it may be you who is needing the support right now, but you can also be the first one to offer help to someone who is in your shoes next time.
- We ALL benefit from a society that looks after each other. When it comes to helping those in need, research has shown that the ‘quality of life’ benefits of those doing the giving is equal to those who receive. It really is a win-win.
Go on. You can do it. Start small and ask someone you know for the help you really need. ❤
