How are you? Don’t just answer, take a second and really think about it, how are you? Personally, my schedule has been disrupted. Many of us are going through a hard time right now.
This all began with a conversation I had with someone close to me. We are both going through challenges right now. Just the fact that we actually sat and talked on the phone is unusual. We don’t often just talk, maybe we text or FaceTime, but this time we spoke on the phone. We had a real and vulnerable conversation about compassion and humility that really inspired me. Our discussion got me thinking about the danger of social media and the importance of asking for help.
At times like these, we find ourselves absolutely inundated with information. Before, you got your news at 6 AM, 5 PM, and maybe again at 10 PM. Now, it’s 24/7 and nonstop. We see articles, podcasts, and stories on social media spinning everywhere. We don’t always even know if it’s accurate, but we take it as true and allow ourselves to internalize that information. I get overwhelmed, stressed, and even paralyzed. When I get to that point, I lose compassion and understanding. I become someone I hate. It is easy to point the finger at the media, but ultimately, we are responsible for this. I do not need to read 14 news articles a day and binge on politics. I have to take control. You can’t control what people say or do, but you can absolutely control how it affects you.
Ask For Help
All this leads me to think about the power of social media. From the outside, it may all look perfect, that’s the danger of not knowing the whole story. It seems like we are all having a wonderful time, but we don’t know what is happening in the background. We all know we create false realities on social media. We do this because we are afraid to tell the truth. If people knew the truth behind the photos, they might judge. We are concerned that people will think we are weak or that we need help. We don’t want others to know that sometimes, our life sucks. The reality is, sometimes we need help.
Why Ask For Help?
The hardest thing for me to learn was that even though I have survived so much, even though I am incredibly strong, I still need help. When I ask for help, it makes my life so much easier; it makes me even stronger. Earlier this year when I found a lump under my arm, I didn’t realize how much help I really needed but people kept reaching out, people loved me and cared for me and made me feel like I wasn’t fighting that battle alone. Help can look very different depending on who is offering. People will give what they can, but whatever it is, it helps the person receiving the help and the person giving it.
Check In With Your Friends
Next time you check in with someone and you ask “How are you?” and they say “I’m fine”, think about, are they really fine? If they are your friend they should be more than fine, they should be great! Pay attention to these verbal clues and reach out. Words are so powerful, just saying a word of support can mean so much.
We have to try to help in the smallest of ways. Financially, a lot of people cannot do big things but words are free and they mean so much. There can be somebody right now that is going through an extremely horrible time. Your words, your caring and your compassionate outreach to them could be a big difference. You will feel a lot better. When I have a conversation with a person who is going through a hard time and I feel like I’ve made a difference, I feel so much better in my heart.
Remember, we are all just humans, not tied to a political affiliation, not Americans, just people. We need a little humanity and compassion right now. Be humble, ask for help, share a kind word with others, and be a better person than you were yesterday.
