THERE IS STRENGTH IN ASKING FOR HELP

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My mother will always refuse us from receiving anything from others outside our nuclear family, she was so strict to us in that regards and made sure she provided all that we needed while growing up, our neighbors will always get angry with us because no matter how they tried, we will only receive something from them when our mother was present and asked us to take it. Even when we go for birthdays, we take everything we got home to show our mother before she permits us to eat it. I could remember then, when the secret cult initiation was rampant, they would always praise my mother's children, that we were sure not to be initiated since we didn't take anything from outsiders. The thing about my mother was that she was very generous to people around, but she taught us never to take things from others.

This influenced me strongly growing up that i found it difficult to ask for anything from others, i could remember my boarding school days where i was one of the most generous person in my hostel, I was alright since my parent always made sure i had more than i need in school for me not to ask others for anything, I will always give to others when I was asked for something but I will never ask for anything. It happened one time that my provisions got finished and I was very hungry but i found it difficult to ask anyone for anything, my friend noticed that I was not okay and asked me what the issue was, I tried to deny it but he made me understand that it is important to share your problems with others, even when we feel the other person cannot change the situation for us.
During my college days, whenever I got broke, I could only ask for help from my close friends, those we did everything together like a family. I will not call any of my family members, not even my father, to request anything until he sends me my monthly allowance, which I usually try to manage for the rest of the month. For the period I stayed through school, I will remember that I only called my dad just once when I needed money from him, and I had never asked any other person for financial assistance.
Till this day, I find it difficult to ask for help, but I always find it pleasing to help others. When I need help, I will only discuss it with my friends regarding what I am going through at the moment, and if anyone offers help, I will accept the help. It is still difficult for me to ask for help. Maybe I grew up with the impression that giving is better than receiving, so anytime I want to ask for something, I feel down and ashamed of myself.

I know that asking for help does not make you small; it shows that you are strong enough to ask for assistance. We can't do anything alone; we will always need the help of others at every point in time. I have learnt and understood that, and once in a while, I try to ask for help from others, even in the little things. Helping others gives me a feeling of joy, and refusing to let others help me will only prevent me from allowing them to have the same feeling.

Thank you for reading. My name is@rishagamo, and this is my response to the Hive Learners weekly Featured Content Week 213 Episode 01: “ASKING FOR HELP”.