Why Asking for Help is Strong

In our culture asking for mental, emotional, material, or physical help is considered weak.

I believe the opposite…

Asking for help is the strongest thing you can do for yourself and your family.

It demonstrates courage, resilience, strength, and most importantly, HOPE.

The act of asking for help whispers, “I’m weak, but I’m still willing to try”.

It cries, “I can’t make it right now, so I’m choosing to trust you with my burdens”.
If that's not strength, I don't know what strength is.

In the last 5 years of my life I have worked really hard only to find that I am never enough. I’ve pulled it together for weeks and months at a time, only to crash and burn. I’ve been a devoted mom, only to hear a voice in my ear telling me that I should be stronger...that I should be much more...that what I’m doing is not valuable.

That is not the voice of truth...

One year during Finals Week, my friend Amanda asked to do my laundry. She returned my laundry basket with another basket filled with a week’s worth of food. I cried. I didn't ask for her to do that much, but I let her know I was struggling, and then I accepted her help even though it was hard for me. I've lost count at how many times my friend Hilary has come over & done the dishes for no reason other than that she saw the defeated expression on my face. There’s a bunch of people who just randomly drop off food at my house or do other things because I try to be honest about what I am struggling with. They can't fight my battles for me, but they can do one act of kindness that makes a huge difference.

I've met so many people who are afraid to ask for help. Sometimes they just need one person to show kindness to them, which will lead to them to feel supported, which will lead to them to the BRAVE act of asking help, which will lead to relief for them and life-long changes.

The one piece of advice I feel the most confident giving? ASK FOR HELP from a safe person or organization.

You are not weak; you are strong.