Several years ago I broke my ankle. I didn’t just break it either, I needed surgery, the boot, the whole thing. I wasn’t able to drive for a couple months, and getting back to walking was certainly a challenge.
I remember shortly after my surgery, feeling frustrated (translation: stressed, anxious, sad to name a few!) with my own inability to take care of myself, do the things I wanted to do, come and go as I wanted to without any help, etc. It was hard to accept help, let alone ask for help!
And then…..I let it go- my resistance to needing help. I simply couldn’t get through this on my own. To this day I still remember all the help I received ranging from friends picking me up for work; my roommate taking me to the doctor and the grocery store; my mom doing my laundry; my sister-in-law driving an hour each way to spend time with me; another friend taking me to get my stitches out….and so much more. I am still grateful to the people who were there for me. As soon as I let go of “feeling bad” about needing help and not being able to do it all on my own, it got so much easier to cope and I felt so much better.
There is nothing worse than the feeling of losing your independence due to illness or injury. When people offer to help, believe them, let them. If you need help, it’s ok to ask for it. People inherently WANT to help, want to be there for each other. Reach out!