The Red Flags of Stress: how to know when to ask for help

Self-growth work is a continuous journey. There is no ‘end point’ with rainbows and unicorns ???? In fact, it’s better than that... you get loads of rainbows and unicorns along the way!

However, they don’t come without the rain and the unicorn poop ?? 

(What an article this is turning out to be)

Anyway, I digress...

A recent example of the unicorn ?? I’ve been overcoming (yep we’re going with this) is around when you should ask for help.

Because, there are of course a lot of challenges we can often overcome ourselves. They're inevitable, and they shape how we grow. But if you're a perfectionist or you're highly ambitious, you probably have a different opinion on the point at which you should ask for help. Or if you should at all.

Sometimes, we can feel like we don't have a valid reason as to why we’re struggling, because it started with something ‘small’. Something small that we think we should have been able to cope with or work through.

You may not know or be able to see how it went from a 'small' challenge to you being stuck in an emotional hell hole, but there’s one thing I’ve learnt to spot as a red flag:

?? The ‘should’s ??

“I should be able to handle this”. “I should be able to do this”. “I should be xyz...”

When it turns from an empowered and positive “I can” into a fearful “I should be able to”, it’s time to ask for help

Those thoughts are a clear sign that you’re putting a painful amount of pressure on yourself. They’re a sign that you’re avoiding the fact that you’re struggling.

I get it, sometimes admitting that you're struggling feels like too much to add to the already-existing pile of ??

But only good things come from asking for help when you need it.

Do you have any red flags that you look out for when it comes to stress? Share them in the comments!

P.S. if you struggle to think straight when you feel anxious or overwhelmed, check out the Panic Relief Kit. It’s free, and super easy to access whenever you need it.

P.P.S. it's 99.9% likely that I'll be overthinking the fact that I've just shared an article on LinkedIn, of all places, full of the ?? emoji. Please be kind.