Month: May 2020

When this is all over, I’ll visit my Mum.
We’ll sit in her garden drinking Pimm’s in the sun.

When this is all over, I’ll throw a huge BBQ.
I’ll hug all my friends and really stick to them like glue.

When this is all over, I’ll jump in my car.
I’ll drive just for the sake of it, to spaces wide and far.

When this is all over, I’ll visit the sea.
I’ll eat chips by the shore, dipped in mushy peas.

When this is all over, I’ll think about what we’ve lost.
Livelihoods and loved ones were too high a cost.

When this is all over, I’ll be still for a while.
I’ll think about the future and then raise a brave smile.

I’ll find the right Moments, to write and to send
For when this is all over…. we will all be best friends

… I need help.

Sometimes life throws lemons at us; but perhaps making lemonade isn’t exactly your thing. So, what do we do about it? Did we think to ask one of our best friends or family to help? Or did we just awkwardly say nothing and let it pass?

For some reason, many of us feel we have to single-handedly tackle the Krackens in our lives without asking for help. Whether it’s a little leg-up with the tiny things, or a catapult for the huge stuff: being honest about when we need help seems really bloomin’ hard. And modern-day pressure doesn’t help either. We are, after all, expected to have a career, an instagrammable social life, an enviable family life, a few cool hobbies and now; we are also expected to know the latest Tik-Tok dance for some stupid song about Carole-sodding-Baskin (who??)!

Whatever the reasons for our self-imposed struggle to say ‘yes, please – I need help’; it is not cool and it’s definitely not good for us. All it does is set us up for more struggle, more feelings of inadequacy and thus, the circle continues.

If you find yourself in this kind of swamp or know someone who is, remember that there are many ways to reach out and say ‘I need help’ or ‘do you need a hand?’ Whether it’s a visual cue for that emotion or just a conversation starter: there are lots of Moments that can raise a hand to let someone know that help is needed or is at hand.

All we have to do is take that one small step – and that’s the hardest bit done. So why not start now? Now is always better than tomorrow.

Image courtesy of Noah Buscher