Help Isn’t Weakness, It’s Wisdom

Growing up in an African home, we weren’t really thought how to open up and talk about what’s wrong with us. This happened on very rare occasions and even if it did, it would take a lot for things to get to that stage. I think this speaks for most people who grew up in African homes.

I grew up in a home where I knew it was okay to talk about what was bothering me, but because of the kind of society I grew up in, I found it very difficult opening up about stuff that bothered me. Most of ten time, I was depressed and I would bottle it all up.

Here in Ghana where I come from, propel rarely see a therapist because I mean, if you see a therapist then you’re probably a mad person. And oh, no one wants to be labeled as someone with mental issues. I had things bothering, I wanted to speak up and let it all out. But how to do it, I didn’t know. It felt like a gun was being pointed at my head and my lips wouldn’t just part. Little did I know I was hurting myself.

But soon enough, I learnt the hard way. I was losing my shit. Then one day, it all came out. I didn’t even care who I was talking to. I just knew I could trust them and they actually have proved to be very trustworthy till today. Since then, I knew it was totally okay to ask for help when need be . There was no need being hard on myself because life is meant to be lived freely.

There’s a lot of people out there ready to hear you out and share your bad days with you. They might not say it everyday to you, but just know they’re there for you. This was something I didn’t know but found out when I made a mental note to not bottle things within me. I learned to live freely, share whatever was bothering me as possible get the help I need. Because there were and are so many people out there willing to stand by me.

It’s been so many years now and I don’t think I remember the last time I had to overthink something or stress over things. The people that cared about me were just a phone call away and I didn’t have to lift all the weight alone.

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All images belong to me.

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