Asking For Help

I recently saw a post on a mental health social media account that said that many people don't know how to reach out when they're struggling, and I realized that I was in that boat for a long, long time.

I've written on here before that I tend to be the therapist friend. That's always been the case for me, which added to my inability to ask for help. If I was the therapist friend, who was going to help me?

The answer to that, it turns out, was a real, licensed therapist. My very first therapist, who I’ve written about a few times on here before, helped me realize that I deserved to be helped, I needed to learn to ask for help when I needed it.

But first, I had to fake it til I made it.

I found myself saying things to friends that I needed to hear, like I had been using all of these healthy coping mechanisms and communication skills for my entire life. Spoiler: I was not.

I told my friends that their feelings were valid, that they should speak up for themselves, and respect themselves. It’s funny to look back now and think of how much I’ve changed since then—and how I am able to do these things for myself now.

Like many other things I write about on here, this is not something you can master overnight. It takes a lot of time and practice to remind yourself that yes, you do deserve help. You are worthy of respect. I got to where I am by going to therapy and journaling, specifically looking for harmful thought patterns that I fall into.

I hope this helps you if you’re trying to get better at asking for help!

Stay safe,

Abbie