We have all felt isolated, alone or lonely, at some time in our lives.

Although loneliness can be distressing, it might actually propel you to take action, to reach out to friends & family.

You may be wanting closer connection to the important people in your life because you know that this will help you not feel so alone or feeling isolated.

If you are brave enough to take that first step, to reach out, you may be surprised that others had no idea how you were feeling and are really quite happy that you made contact. This support will most likely help you feel loved and remind you that you are in fact not alone.

Yet knowing this is not easy, because it is not easy to ask for what we need. We have been trained that asking for our needs, means we are selfish or bad, taking from someone who needs it more etc.

But what if you matter to others? What if they really do want to be there for you? To support you? Sometimes people don’t know how to reach out to give help as they are not sure how it would be received.

If the giver and receiver are both too afraid to reach out, they both feel that loss. Neither is able to experience the joy of caring for someone or being cared for. So perhaps the next time you think of not asking for what you need, take a moment to consider what you may in fact be denying others, when you don’t allow them the opportunity to give.

If you doubt that, think for a moment, if you wanted to help someone but were too afraid to offer, but they reached out to you, how good would that feel to be able to be there and help?

With that in mind, is there something that you need? Take a few moments to be clear on what that is and who may be able to help you achieve that. Then take the chance, step up for yourself and allow both to receive the reward.