You don’t have to face difficulties alone. No matter how small or large a challenge you have, it is well worth it to to seek help. Getting a fresh perspective can give you more options. You will also feel better knowing that you’re not alone.

As an example, I’ve been feeling anxious about my mother’s upcoming 90th birthday. This should be a joyous and momentous occasion, something to be excited about, but the challenging relationships that I have with some in my family are making the situation very stressful. Specifically, my feelings stem from past dealings with my sisters, regarding making arrangements for holidays and other family celebrations. We never agree, and there are always hard feelings, all around!

My mother’s birthday is on July 10th, and I’m fretting about what I’m going to do. I really want this day to be special for her. It’s definitely a big milestone birthday, and I want her to enjoy it as much as possible. However, my sisters and I are fighting over how we want to celebrate. This is certainly not what my mother wants to be happening. I’ve talked about this conflict with supportive people in my life, but I felt like I needed more… perhaps objective opinions from other HSPs. Thus, I enlisted the help of my friends on Facebook, Twitter, and this blog.

I got some very good ideas about possible options. I was actually surprised at all the responses I got! I immediately felt better, and it was a nice reminder of how willing people are to help when you ask. It was great to get feedback from like-minded people and to hear the stories of others who face similar family conflicts. I gleaned some options that felt right and realized that I’m making myself unnecessarily crazy. I’m going to talk to my mother and my sisters and come up with a solution that we’re all going to be happy with. Again, this is not an easy feat, but I at least feel like I can do it!

I want to thank everyone who gave me suggestions! This is an example of not having to come up with solutions to problems by yourself. I’ll keep you posted on how things turn out.

Do you ask for help when you need it? When you do, do you find that others are glad to help? Is it hard for you to ask for help? What are your thoughts? I’m interested in any comments you have.