If you have ever been approached by a child seeking your help with something, you understand the innocence of their request. Maybe they ask for help zipping their coat or putting their shoes on. Or maybe they want to learn how to make or build something they have never done before. Whatever it is, children are naturally seekers of support. As adults, we have an innate desire to help children without judging their ability to do something on their own. We recognize that children need the constant support of adults in their lives.
When we become adults ourselves, we fail to realize that being an adult does not immediately qualify us to know everything we need to know. In fact, we lose our tendency to seek the support we need. Finding that support becomes more and more challenging the longer we wait.
In each of us exists the potential to become our best selves. But if we are forced to bloom into that existence without any support from others we would likely never reach our true potential. Imagine how difficult it would be for a child to learn to read, write, and solve complex math problems without an adult’s support.Â
We often need the most support when we are most reluctant to seek it. Have you ever felt the deep desire to reach out to family, friends, or someone close to you, but felt too needy to do so? Have you felt hesitant  about needing or asking for help? You are not alone with that feeling because absolutely everyone feels that way and no one speaks about it. The human experience is shared and common. Your most difficult emotions are the ones that most people can deeply relate to. The feeling of being alone with ourselves is an absolute tragedy and exactly what makes finding support so critical to our recovery and healing.
Seeking support begins with putting aside our fear that we are weak or different and instead sharing our needs with others. Even if the thing we need most is to figure out what  we need. There is a stifling impact on our mental health when we know we need help but are not only struggling with asking for it, but have no idea what we should be asking for. So how do you seek support in this case?
Knowing where to find support can be difficult. One of the best ways to find the support we need is to talk to others who can relate to what we are going though. A support group is a powerful tool to helping us through the darkest of times: the moments in our journey that are most difficult to navigate. It not only helps you feel connected, but helps others in your same position feel included too. Support groups  come in many forms; community gatherings, online, hotlines, one-on-one meetings, etc.Â
Other means of support can be discovered by asking a close friend to witness your struggle, taking a risk of vulnerability with someone new, seeking the support of a professional counselor or therapist, finding support forums in your community or online, such as the The Mind Reset’s support groups and live chats. Community organizations can be a resource in helping you find such groups.
There is a lot of great research showing that group support has a healing and socially supportive impact on those who attend. If you have ever attended a support group you have surely witnessed this in person. Someone in the group shares an experience and/or a feeling and others in the group can relate to having a similar experience or understanding that feeling. As a powerful healing practice group support can help provide the tools needed to grow and heal.
For many, seeking support is one of the hardest things we do. It forces us to reveal our most vulnerable, sensitive selves and pour our love, trust, and heart into others. But trust me, it feels unequivocally better having someone with you when your world seems to be crumbling down. Just because we are adults does not mean we are invincible. Seek the help you deserve.
Reference: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/11/power
Author: Rachel Bauer
Editor: Jasmine Hyder
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the MindReset community if you are in need of support or are interested in supporting others in an actionable and effective way.
The MindReset is a community of individuals who seek to inspire a social movement geared toward creating a more Supportive, Inclusive, Compassionate, and Kind society where anyone and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
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