Ask for help.

Ask your friends for help not frivolously, not as a test. Ask not from attachment, not from expectation.

Ask from genuine need. Ask with humility and discernment. Ask for enough, but not too much. Ask knowing that you will be okay.

Remember that we are interconnected social creatures. There is a mutual benefit when someone asks another for help and receives help. Both parties feel good in the process. When the ask is healthy, both are rewarded with feelings of closeness, increased trust, not to mention the warm and fuzzies. Asking for help builds trust over time. As we share our vulnerability, we deepend connection.

I fell ill today and needed some supplies. I could have gone to the grocery store myself to get them—though at the risk of worsening my symptoms rather than resting. I asked a friend to bring those, and she was happy to do so.

I recall a friend who got into a severe motorcycle accident where the engine caught on fire and caused severe burns on his leg. While a different scenario in that he didn't ask for help, I went to visit him in the hospital. I brought him a sous vide steak (he loves steak). I felt very happy being able to be there for him, without expectation of anything in return.

We are creatures of give and take. Just as much as we benefit from learning how to give, we also benefit from learning how to ask for what we need and receive it gracefully.