By Hester Hill Schnipper — 2021
Accepting help from others when you have a cancer diagnosis isn’t a sign of weakness.
Read on www.cancertodaymag.org
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Last spring an 18-year-old college freshman who got straight A’s in high school—but was now failing several courses—came to my office on the campus where I work as a psychologist.
There’s something empowering and dignifying about the act of asking for help when it is genuinely needed.
I couldn’t keep “proving everyone wrong” and still do all the things I wanted to do with my life.
We should remember that while disabled people can become good at asking for help, few of us are entirely comfortable with it.
Unsurprisingly, burnout is a major problem in college. A 2021 Boston University study found that more than half of the 33,000 surveyed college students experienced anxiety or depression. And 83% of respondents said their mental health hurt their academic performance.
When it comes to transitioning, you have to ask for help. This applies to mental health, fitness, and most importantly, to career transition.
“If there’s something I can do to help, don’t be afraid to ask.” This is a courtesy friends and family often extend to you as a caregiver. You thank them, but then how often do you follow up? What is it that’s holding you back from accepting their offer?
People wildly underestimate the odds that others will help us, says social psychologist Heidi Grant. From strangers to colleagues to friends, we think people are likely to reject our request, and that leads to people not asking for help as much as we should.
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We identified 8 reasons why this might be true for many introverts.
In a society largely based on helping yourself — just go to any bookstore or library and browse the voluminous self-help section — it may seem odd to promote the idea that we need to learn better ways to ask for and receive assistance. But a small movement is saying just that.