As I go through many days in my life, I am amazed with the number of people that are in a caregiving role. Many are the sandwich generation, too and working full time. On the same note, there are many seniors out there who for some reason seem to hesitate to ask for help. Asking for help is okay.
Remember when you were younger, even a child and were presented with something new or a problem? What did you do then? How did you learn how to ride a bike or swim? How did you learn the day to day stuff? Personal hygiene items, feeding yourself, talking etc. Someone was teaching you. You likely reached out to a parent, a sibling, teacher or a friend quite often. They would guide you through the situation or task as best as they could. Then you figured it out. Asking for help was okay then, so why not now?
When you needed to learn something new you asked questions, asked for help and someone taught you. The beauty of having adult children is they can teach us things as we continue to teach them. Sometimes grandchildren can teach us, too. What a wonderful thing.
So why not ask for help now?
Many of us have managed our lives with minimal help for years. The very thought of not being able to ‘handle’ everything for ourselves can cause us more stress. If you believe in yourself, asking for help should be a non issue.
Some believe that seeking help means defeat. That is simply not true. We aren’t believing in ourselves when we think asking for help is defeat.
We may be so busy just trying to manage through everything we don’t stop to think that there are means of support and we should ask for help.
Support is everywhere!
There are many senior and caregiving support groups available that you can join.
Your own family whether parents, children or siblings are likely a phone call away.
Your family doctor is another ear that can offer some great insight.
Then there’s Seniors Lifestyle Magazine! We post articles daily on different things. Day to day items, hints and tips and of course our own caregiving journey stories. Many of our articles resonate well with different seniors and caregivers providing some new insight or reminders of things we already know.
We encourage everyone to read different articles and share them. If you are looking for a good way to open up a conversation with a loved one or friend about something, you can always talk to one of the articles that is related and take it from there.
People are kind and people want to help, so reach out! There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help. Sometimes when we ask someone for help we are actually helping that person. Interesting. When someone asks us for help we often feel needed. Now that is an amazing spin. You need help so you ask someone else and then you help them,too. That is powerful.
So the next time you are feeling overwhelmed with a situation, jump on line. Google away and visit our website https://www.seniorslifestylemag.com
You will be amazed how much support is out there for whatever you may need. Also stop by the library or book store and at how many books are now available on aging and caregiving.
Believe in yourself and ask for help.
