Reaching out for help is something that we all have to learn to do. Something that I have always struggled with, never wanting to burden anyone with. I think part of it comes from being an only child and another from not having that emotional connection that every child needs.
After my firstborns father was in a serious motorcycle accident which put him in a coma, I was devastated. But pressed on, I worked and after work I drove straight to the hospital for the next 6 months. I buried the pain and all emotion only to suffer in silence. A couple of people from a nearby church reached out but I didn’t feel I needed help. This is when I was gifted my first self help book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hanson. It was full of how people overcame their obstacles. I may have read a couple stories and just put it aside. The biggest gift to me was seeing how people came together to make a collection of money to help me as a mother raising a 2 year old. It wasn’t the money that touches me, it was the fact that humans can come together and help when help is needed. This is the greatest gift of human kind as well as making me see that people are there. Human angels come in many forms.
Fast forward to the past couple years and I have learned, during times of trauma and needing help or wanting to talk with someone who not just understands but those who can just listen, to just be there. After working with the public I see this a lot. Some people are so lonely and just crave connection. We need human connection. Someone to cry to, not to judge or criticize, just listen with an open heart and mind. Or just to offer a hug.
We all need someone we can trust and that are there in times of need. The first step, and sometimes the hardest, is reaching out. Asking for help. There is help, there are people there that are more than willing to listen, guide, or support us when we need it. Even a total stranger that is more than happy to help. I reached out and everyone I reached out to was there offering more than I ever expected. I am so completely grateful for not only these humans, but for the hardest thing for me, taking the first step and make that phone call or sending that message.
If you are struggling with anything, know there is help and people are more than willing to extend that hand. Be brave, and just try, the right person will be there to catch you. Don’t feel like you are a burden, just make sure that when it’s your turn to extend that hand to someone who needs help, be there. Just listen. We have to be here for each other.
