Ask for Help When You Need It – 6 Reasons Why That’s Okay
Ask for Help When You Need It
As human beings, every individual has moments of vulnerability. You want to appear strong and remain in control, so you try to work it out on your own.
No one wants to act or look like they are needy or weak, and asking for help can be difficult, but behavioral experts recommend reaching out and seeking help when you need it. There is nothing wrong with people assisting other people. In fact, it can build a better world.
1. Humans Are Wired To Being Helpful
No one likes rejection, right? So it may seem uncomfortable to stop someone on the street and ask for a favor. However, most individuals are happy to lend a helping hand. Social psychologist Heidi Grant wrote a book called “Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You.”
Grant says that the majority of individuals out there are wired to be helpful, and so most people don’t like to say no to a request for help. She adds that folks have a natural instinct to help other human beings; you just need to know how to channel this request and not feel afraid to ask.
2. True Friends Are Emerging For You
When you find yourself in a jam and are dealing with a challenging situation and ask a number of close people for help, you may find out who’s really on your side. True friends will be there for you, and the rest may just be “deadwood” that you have the chance to potentially drop. Remember that it’s quality that counts and not quantity, and in adulthood, people often find that the number of close friends you can count on will fit on one hand. A true friend’s someone to ask for help.
3. Mental Health Pros Offering Unique Advice
Let’s be honest. It feels good talking it out with a friend, but another excellent option is considering online psychiatry or a therapist. There are benefits you may get in a therapy session that you wouldn’t get in a friendship.
A licensed mental health professional performs their job for a reason, and that is, to improve a patient’s life and to teach them how to develop the necessary skills to cope with the challenges and situations of life that we encounter from time to time.
What you tell your mental health expert remains confidential because these professionals are legally and ethically obligated to keep client information confidential through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
4. Getting Out Of Your Own Way
Do you ever feel like you’re spinning your own wheels when you’re dealing with something?
Are you in your own way? When you ask someone for help, it can ease the burden you’re feeling. Another person can offer you advice and help you deal with the issue. That way, you don’t have to play the role of hero 24/7.
Maybe the person you ask for assistance has been down this road before. Another perspective about life can be helpful and may give you alternative ways of tackling the problem.
5. Building Connections Is Healthy
When you reach out and ask for help when you need it, you’re taking a big step in building important, human connections. People are social beings, and no one can do everything and solve every issue solo.
When you seek help, you are also developing a grown-up mindset, and by that, you are finding that it is normal to ask for help from others and to appear vulnerable, that it is constructive to do so, and it keeps you open-minded to achieve more in life knowing that you aren’t alone.
6. You’re Becoming Stronger Inside
We all have a sense of pride, but there are times that we all could use assistance from someone else. Doing this makes you stronger and gives you the power to appreciate the value of the people who surround you. This restores your self-esteem, and in turn, builds up those around you as you treasure their advice.
Closing Thoughts
Ask for help when you need it: Life challenges every one of us at some time or another. Learning how to reach out and ask for help is an amazing gift you can give to yourself and others.
