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19 October 2026

Many people find it easier to help someone else than to admit that they need help themselves.

They will listen patiently to a friend’s troubles, stand beside a colleague in difficulty or make time for a family member. Yet when their own circumstances become difficult, they often remain silent. They fear appearing incapable, becoming a burden or losing the respect of people whose opinions matter to them.

There is a quiet loneliness in carrying everything alone.

Asking for help does not mean surrendering responsibility. It means recognising that no person, however capable, can manage every situation without support. Sometimes another person can offer a practical solution. At other times, all they can give is a patient hearing, which may be enough to make a difficult day feel less heavy.

We should also remember how it feels to be trusted with somebody else’s difficulty. When a person approaches us, they are offering more than a problem to solve. They are allowing us to see a part of their life they might usually keep hidden.

Perhaps we should make it easier for one another to say those simple words: “I could use some help.”

There is dignity in independence, certainly. But there is dignity in knowing when not to insist on it.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com