This is a heart-felt call for anyone who is struggling to reach out and finding it hard asking for help. In it, I share my own story about my dad who failed to ask for help until it was too late. Eventually, this killed him.

With men making up around of the 88% of suicides in the UK, It isn’t a huge jump to say that they are ones who have the most problems around asking for help. Indeed, it is an old cliche that men don’t and won’t do this. However, it is vital that we encourage the men in our lives – fathers, brothers, colleagues, sons, friends – to feel more comfortable asking for help. It’s also important that we listen and not berate them for being weak when they do.

I look at how asking for help is a skill, and one that I often work on with my clients. So many of us hate the idea of looking weak or vulerable, or have been brought up to put others before ourselves at all times. However, asking for help at work can give you valuable feedback. It can also enable you to delegate to a junior colleague, which is good for someone’s else’s development. Teenagers who learn to help around the house more, or cook an evening meal, are learning valuable life skills. Likewise, reaching out to a partner or friend and asking for their support and understanding also allows them to feel wanted and needed – an important need for us all.

You can reach out to me by booking in a chat here. Other articles you may find useful are this one on depression, and my interview with Caroline Carr on overcoming depression. If you are living in Folkestone or Kent, this list of resources may also be helpful.

The post Asking For Help appeared first on The Good Therapy Practice.