Do you ever reach a point in your life where everything and everyone is against you and all you can do is scream, "Help me!!" to the entire world hoping someone will hear and answer you? I have reached this point several times, and let me tell you, it's not fun. Especially if no one is there for you.
Have you ever had that experience of going about your normal, everyday business only to be interrupted by a text that simply says, "I'm having a horrible day. Can we hang out later?" You look at your watch and find that you have about negative five minutes in your day that you can set aside for this friend. Yeah, I've been there too.
The problem with the first scenario is that you never actually say, "help me" in those exact words because that would be too desperate, too depressing, and too forward. Therefore you settle with something like, "hey, wanna do something later?"
The problem with the second scenario is that you'll often get a text that just says, "Hey, wanna hang out later?" It will say nothing of how desperately in need of help the person is, and is therefore easy to ignore.
So, what are you supposed to do? How do you show people that you're in dire need of their help when you're too scared to admit it to yourself? How do you get the help you need without sounding too desperate? Well, it's rather simple really. Say, "I need to talk to you." Or "Can you please help me, I'm not doing so great." Be willing to show someone how much you really need their help in that moment instead of trying to play the tough guy and bear it all yourself.
What if you're on the other end? What if you get a text saying, "hey, let's hang out tonight"? It's very simple: respond. You never know if they're actually in need of help or if they just want to spend time with you. Either way, make it a priority in life to be a friend. A busy schedule means nothing when your friend is in need. Trust me, I know. I'm a full-time student with two part-time jobs. I've got an apartment to keep up, my own meals to cook, and I babysit regularly. I've also got friends, somehow. When they need a shoulder to cry on, a friend to talk to, or even a text of reassurance, I make time for them. I change my work schedule, work around classes, and cancel extra activities just to help them out.
Try it sometime. It'll make you a better person.
