Ask, and You Shall Receive

I'm extremely reluctant to ask for help and generally avoid situations like that. My parents raised me to be independent and encouraged me to do things on my own wherever possible. I take pride in my self-reliance and self-efficacy. Nowadays I recognize that we all need to support each other, but my lifelong training still gets the better of me. I feel so vulnerable and only reach out for aid under duress. Consequently, it feels like a painful failure when I am turned down. I continue to struggle with the dichotomy between my misgivings and the clear necessity for help. Raising children has continuously taught me that it is impossible to survive without additional assistance. Last week I was rushing to get to jury duty on time. My husband was also on a tight schedule to make an early morning meeting. When I walked into our small kitchen that day, I found him hurriedly and loudly unloading the dishwasher in his suit and dress shoes. One of my sons was busy heaping far too much yoghurt into a bowl, while the other was still getting dressed. I was so irritated that my husband could not see the obvious need for food at that time of day. It is not crucial for the dishwasher to be emptied at 7 a.m. I know that he was trying to help, but it didn't work at all. I managed to shoo him out of the kitchen with a terse thank you. When I later reflected about the morning, I resolved to communicate what my needs were, instead of being opaque and resentful. Because I am unsure that my r...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news