Sometimes it is hard to admit that we need help. We don’t want to complain about our situation because, you know, “It could be worse” We don’t want to ask for help because that shows weakness. Heaven forbid someone finds out our weakness!?!? Many times the things you read online in the social media world are always the nice a fluffy stuff. I’ll admit I do it to, we all try to send out a positive message. Sometimes showing up, where you are, struggles, weakness and all is exactly what people need. So here it is… a little piece of my struggle pie:
My struggle:
Today I sit here trying to force myself to WAKE UP. I am double fisting it with Matcha Green tea on one side, and my usual antioxidant cellular energy beverage on the other. Normally just the smell of the green tea, or the first few sips of my Univera is enough to wake me up and get me going. I am writing this today because I realize I am struggling. I want to be transparent and authentic with you, my audience, as I possibly can be. I am not asking for a pity party. Complaining about it used to be my go to: “woah is me, look what I have to deal with, I don’t need help…just feel bad for me…don’t you feel bad for me?…wah wah wah” (Even typing that felt awful) Instead taking action is my new aim. I am presenting a problem I have faced over and over again, and am finally taking ACTION by ASKING for help.
I am usually not public about my issues (unless it’s in the form about complaining. See above “woah is me”), but I believe it is time let you in on a not-so-secret secret. I have what I refer to as my “energy crisis” My blood knows two states of being: anemic and severely anemic. This alone can have a major impact on my energy levels. Recently I have also been on a roller coaster of tests and hypothesis about some adrenal/hormone disfunction. I try to take responsibility for what is going on in my body and my life, by denying that there may be an issue and blaming myself. I eat well and have focused my main exercise routine around recovery and restorative workouts, but I still feel as if there is a piece missing. This piece I realize is my internal body chemistry, and I am NO expert on chemistry.
If you have known me you also know that I am extremely hard on myself and I am stubborn. I like to pretend that everything is fine and if I just do this “one thing” I will feel better. I have hit a wall and I need help getting over it. I realize that sometimes we cannot do things alone. I know there are professionals in the world who have devoted their lives to studying and treating exactly the same symptoms I experience. It’s time I let go of my fear, and ask for help. This is a time where the BEST step is to take action and ask for help.
I often act like the “I don’t need to stop and ask for directions” type. My realization is: there is no shame in asking for help. I have just given up asking, because the only “answers” I would get is another set of pills to take, a new “plan”, or new “rules” My supplement regimen had gotten a little ridiculous. And the list of foods I was not allowed to eat was paralyzing. Persistence is now my current mantra about my “energy crisis” I need to ask the same questions over and over again until someone is able to help me find a sustainable answer.
Now I open this up for you to reflect. What area in your life can you take action by asking for help? What are you solely taking responsibility for that you may need help with? This does not have to be about physical health. This can be anything. Maybe you realize that your stress levels are high because you have piled on too much. What can you delegate out or ask for help with? Are you afraid to let go because you are stubborn like me? Together we can let go a bit of control to get the help and the answers we may need. No one has to muscle through “it” alone, whatever your “it” may be.
I am learning to show myself some compassion, stop blaming myself, and get help where I need it most. This is a BIG lesson for me, and it is taking me a long time to become comfortable with it. Taking action in this situation is taking responsibility for my well being. I write this to you not as an excuse, but as an action step for myself. This is my gesture of being completely honest with myself and with you. I have now taken the first step in asking for help for my “energy crisis” I am booking an appointment to see a specialist.
Open up, ask yourself: Do I need help? Am I hindering my own progress? Find the people in your community that can help and reach out.
Thank you for listening. I hope that through my experiences I may inspire you to seek what you need in your own life. For me that was reaching in and reaching out. I am on my way to a solution through persistence (even if my persistence is tiny baby steps toward an answer)
Action. Ask. Persist.