The Power of Support
What is support exactly?
Support can be defined as helping and guiding individuals through various moments in their life. Who can provide support: family, friends, classmates, teachers, colleagues, strangers, the list goes on. However, despite there being different avenues to receive support, the process of asking for help can be very difficult, when an individual is struggling with their mental health. There can be many reasons to not ask for support, such as fear of judgement, dismissal and not being accepted.
As an individual who faced struggles with their mental health, these were part of the reasons I found it difficult, to ask for help at first. The possibility of being judged, held me back from sharing what I was going through. The fear of being ignored and not accepted would go through my mind whenever I wanted to reach out for help and would stop me. However, asking for support should not be feared, support is there to help us, to guide us, to be there for us. It can be difficult asking for help, but it can be extremely impactful to one’s life, when they decide to take the path of seeking support.
Feeling alone with your thoughts can be extremely daunting, so experiencing that moment where you are able to speak about the struggles you have had with your mental health and share your emotions, can be empowering. It is completely understandable to have fears when asking for help, but once those fears have been removed, multiple avenues of support are available. When you are struggling with your mental health, please don’t keep this to yourself, support is there for you whenever you need it and want it.
Having fears can hold us back from amazing opportunities, but once you let go of these fears, you can experience the power of support.
Ramisa, Young Mental Health Ambassador