You may have noticed that when you are going through a difficult time, people around you tend to emphasise your strengths. “You are strong” and “Keep going, don’t give up!”, are encouragements that you have probably heard before. Naturally, these encouragements are incredibly sweet and well-meaning, but they can give you the idea that being strong means that you never give up and always keep going. But, being strong is much more than that and in this blog I’d love to explain that further.

Being vulnerable = being strong 

Maybe people know you as the positive person, a ray of sunshine or the one who always seems to get through anything. While it’s great if others know you like that, but it can put a certain pressure on you. You might not want to change or damage this positive and strong image that others have of you. After all, the ray of sunshine always has to be positive and strong, right? The danger of this is that you impose too much on yourself and that you actually expect yourself to always be strong and positive. What we often see happening is that feelings are hidden away and appearances are kept up. But let’s face it, there is nothing more exhausting than pretending that you are fine, when in fact you are not. 

In this case, it is actually very strong to share what bothers you. Even positive-minded people have their lesser days. Being vulnerable and honest brings you closer together and creates a closer connection between people. You are brave and strong when you dare to be vulnerable, because being vulnerable is so difficult. 

Letting go = being strong 

When you look back at difficult moments in your past, you are probably glad that you didn’t give up and that kept going. Persevering and not giving up often has a positive effect. The reason why we often tend to persevere also has something to do with the fact that we associate giving up with failure. Does giving up necessarily mean that you have failed? No, certainly not. We don’t have to beat around the bush: sometimes persevering just doesn’t make sense. Especially if it goes against your feelings and if there is no change after a long time of perseverance. Sometimes it just costs you a lot more than it gains you. In this case, letting go will gain you more. 

Asking for help = being strong 

Generally, many of us do not like asking others for help. There are several reasons why we prefer not to ask others for help: maybe you were taught to always manage on your own or asking for help was not appreciated in the past. Sometimes asking for help can make you feel like you are failing or it is like you are showing weakness. But to what extent are you showing weakness when you cannot do something by yourself? It is impossible as a human being to be able to do everything and solve everything by yourself. Being strong doesn’t mean that you have to carry everything in life yourself. On the contrary, you are brave and strong when you ask for help: you dare to approach the other person because you know that, as a result, it’ll make you better.

So don’t hesitate to ask for help if you feel things are getting too much for you. Don’t hesitate to ring the bell if you feel that things are not going well for a while. Asking others for help indicates that you are listening to yourself. This means that you make your own feelings as important as someone else’s, and this makes you strong.