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Asking for Help

We all need support from time to time, but it is not always easy to ask for help.

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Regardless of our age, gender, job titles, experience and expertise we all experience times in life when we need help and support.

Knowing when to ask for help and knowing why we need it is important. Whether it is a small task or a big project, here are some tips for asking for help:

Challenge your thoughts

Understanding what makes asking for help a challenge can be helpful. Once we understand what thinking underpins this difficulty we can start to challenge these thoughts. Perhaps we consider asking for help a sign of weakness or make assumptions about how you will be viewed as a result. We can ask ourselves some questions to help challenge this thinking such as;

  • Is there any evidence that contradicts this thought?

  • What would you say to a friend who had this thought in a similar situation?

  • What are the costs and benefits of thinking this way?

  • Is there another way of looking at this situation?

Change your mindset

Do you believe you have to be the one that does it all, can you start considering you’re only one person? Do you feel that delegation is unfair to others, or that there is no one that can do the job like you? Once you start changing this mind-set you have the luxury of receiving help from others. It feels good when someone offers help and most people want to be a source of support. Drawing on others skills and knowledge can benefit everyone and create a deeper level of trust and connection between everyone involved.

Take some time for yourself

We can often neglect ourselves because we find ourselves too busy doing everything for everyone. In the end, that’s not helpful to anyone: It causes burnout and frustration. During times of overwhelm and burnout we may find ourselves thinking more negatively and feeling more unsupported creating a vicious cycle of not feeling able to seek help. Taking a little time each day to self-care can help to keep you well, relaxed and thinking clearly.

Reassess your priorities

There comes a time in life when we have to take a hard look at how we are living; personally and professionally, and if we find it is not sustainable or good for us we need to make changes. Taking time to understand what is important to us, what we value and how we want to live our lives can support us to make numerous decisions on a day-to-day basis. For instance if we decide it is important to spend more time with our children this will have an impact on how and where we spend our time and what we need to do to make this feasible. In this instance the joy you feel from being with your children will outweigh the awkwardness of asking for help.

Asking for help is a new skill, and like any new skill, it gets easier with practice. Consider asking for help from people trust and in situations that do not leave you feeling too vulnerable. When you are ready and feeling more comfortable, you can start to address some of the situations that feel more challenging.


Using wellbeing solutions steeped in innovative technology, Govox provides data and insights that helps leaders in schools , sports clubs and the workplace spot at-risk individuals and give much-needed support.

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