Take Care of Yourself: It is Okay to Ask for Help

I have always believed that the key to looking amazing is what you put inside your body.  If you need makeup then that is an opportunity to look at what you are doing to yourself that is giving you a less than desirable complexion. A couple of years ago I went through an extremely stressful period and my body and skin showed it.  Not only did I develop acne, my skin looked blotchy and discolored on my entire body.  I had little dry patches on my arms and I just didn’t  look healthy.  I started catching colds (I had gone years without catching a cold), my blood pressure was elevated,  I lost a significant amount of weight during this time as well, but although I had been wanting to lose weight, but this weight loss left me looking sick.  I no longer looked like myself and I knew it was because I was not taking care of myself physically or emotionally.  At this point I made some serious decisions.  Some of these decisions I had to force myself to make as they took me way out of my comfort zone, but they were worth it.

The one thing that I did that really saved me emotionally is that I sought therapy.  I never doubted the benefits of therapy, but I never thought I would ever seek it for myself.  I had always been a very guarded and private person and the thought of sharing my innermost feelings to a total stranger did not appeal to me, but this time I was desperate.  I had gotten to a place in my life that I had never been before.  I felt hopeless.  I looked hopeless.  I felt that I was at the end of my rope, but I refused to give up on myself.  Because of my faith in God I knew I would make it through, but I needed help.  Fortunately, the university I attend offered counseling included in the tuition.  I was placed with an amazing counselor and was surprised by how easy it was to talk to her.  I told her everything, and she helped me.  She did not tell me what to do, but she gave me some very useful tools that aided me to make a better life for myself.

Gradually, I noticed some visible changes in myself.  I walked taller, I got more compliments, and it seemed that people began to treat me better.  All of these things were happening because I was taking better care of myself.  I was taking care of my mental health and my physical health benefited from it as well.  The feelings of hopelessness were replaced with optimism.  What was happening was that I was beginning to feel that I deserved better, so I sought out the best.  When you begin to realize how awesome you are, it is very difficult to do something to mess it up.

What I would like to truly like to emphasize in this post is that help is always available.  It may not be a counselor, but it could be a support group, a good and trusted friend, or it may even be a stranger offering some very useful advice.  Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to take the help that is available to you.  I will admit I was afraid at first, but I did it.  There was the possibility that I wouldn’t like it, but I was determined to get some kind of help.  I wasn’t going to give up.

I would like to challenge all of us to realize how precious and wonderful our lives are. No matter how bad the situation is, you are still amazing and can do amazing things.  Even when everything seems to be going against you, there is always something to look forward to.  The amount of people wanting you to exceed is far greater than the amount of people wanting you to fail.  You may just need seek them out and surround yourself with them.  Let them help you.  It’s okay.