Asking for help while grieving can feel uncomfortable or even impossible. Yet leaning on friends can provide the support and comfort you need to navigate loss. Here\u2019s how to ask for help and let others be there for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q: I need help but I don’t want to be a burden. How do I ask friends for support after losing my parent?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A:<\/strong> First, let’s address the “burden” belief. Your friends who truly care about you want to help. Sometimes they just don’t know how. You’re not being a burden by giving them specific ways to support you; you’re giving them a gift by letting them be useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: What kind of help should I actually ask for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A:<\/strong> Be specific rather than saying “I’m struggling.” Try these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: How do I ask for emotional support without feeling needy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A:<\/strong> Reframe “needy” as “human.” You might say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: What if I ask for help and they say no?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A:<\/strong> That’s valuable information. People who consistently can’t or won’t show up during the hardest times probably aren’t the friends you thought they were. It stings, but it also saves you from wasting energy on relationships that aren’t reciprocal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: I used to be the one who helped everyone else. How do I flip that dynamic?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A:<\/strong> This is especially hard if you’re used to being the supportive friend. Try saying: “I know I’m usually the one offering support, but right now I need to be on the receiving end. Can our friendship handle that shift for a while?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: How long is it okay to need extra support?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A:<\/strong> Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and neither should support from your friends. The right people will understand that you’ll have good days and hard moments for a long time. Don’t put an artificial deadline on your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want you to know that asking for help while grieving isn’t selfish but it\u2019s how you\u2019ll survive. You will not be able to survive this without any help from others. The people worth keeping in your life will want to help you through this really hard chapter of your life. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Asking for help while grieving can feel uncomfortable or even impossible. Yet leaning on friends can provide the support and comfort you need to navigate loss. Here\u2019s how to ask…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":1249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,14],"tags":[40,8,42,20,24,26,9,19,41],"class_list":["post-1248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coping-with-grief","category-grief-support","category-it-is-interesting","tag-askforhelp","tag-coping-with-grief","tag-friendssupport","tag-grief-support","tag-healing","tag-loss-of-a-loved-one","tag-online-memorial","tag-support","tag-supportive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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