Growing up as an introvert, I never really had the courage to share my thoughts aloud. I didn’t like people to know about my problems because I didn’t want to appear weak and afraid. I would bottle everything up until I broke down. For years, I carried around so much baggage, just because I didn’t allow others to know I was struggling. I was too afraid to ask for help.
But I lost someone very important in my life when I was a teenager, and that experience changed everything.
I could no longer function normally. I woke up each morning unsure of where I was headed or if I had anything left to look forward to. My childhood dreams became meaningless. I was lost and confused. I shut down and pushed everyone away.
The pain and hatred in my heart became impossible to bear. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I finally decided to ask for help.
It wasn’t easy.
I felt like the ground would swallow me whole whenever I told someone about my insecurities, fears, and pains. I could never find the exact words to aptly describe all I felt inside. I didn’t want to be vulnerable, but I knew that sharing my struggles was the only way for me to grow.
It took me years to understand that vulnerability is not a weakness. After all, admitting that you’re in pain is necessary for healing. Revealing yourself is scary and, most of the time, it’s painful, too. But each step we take towards improving ourselves is always worth the difficulty.
After years of running away from my problems, I finally started confronting them. I’ve learned that our scars are reminders of the battles we have fought and the mountains we have conquered. Pretending that those battle wounds don’t exist insults our resilience and strength.
I didn’t want to ask others for help… but I’m so glad that I did.
When I started sharing my story, people started reaching out to me. Others shared that they felt the same way. I wasn’t alone after all. There are so many people in the world who struggle just like I do.
We’ll never find the answers we’re looking for if we are afraid to ask. Life can be ironic; we break down before break through. When we face problems, we learn who we can really count on. We experience bad days so we don’t take the good ones for granted. We can never understand life’s abundant lessons if we close our eyes to the possibility of suffering and pain.
I managed to overcome my fears, and it changed my life for the better. Your deepest fears are often the very thing that will save you. Giant leaps are only scary because you do not know what will happen after you jump. But once you decide to just go for it, that leap can change your destiny’s course, and that potential outcome is always worth the risk.
Be bold; be brave. Take the plunge into the unknown. Ask for help, and don’t look back. You’ll be forever thankful that you reached out and shared yourself.
Feature Image by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash
