For the people everyone calls.
Strong also needs holding
You cannot pour from an empty vessel; even the strong need to be held
The Stoic Principle
You are the one everyone calls. The one who handles things. That does not mean you are built for solo. It means everyone else assumed you were. Including you.
The Stoic Support
"There is no enjoying the possession of anything valuable, unless one has someone to share it with. And yet I do not summon you to my side solely for the sake of your own progress, but for my own as well, for we shall be of the utmost benefit to each other."
Seneca | Letters from a Stoic
Stoic Steps for Radical Resilience
Five steps for asking for what you have never had to ask for.
Name three people you'd actually call at 11pm
Not who you would call in theory. Who would actually pick up. Three. Write them down. If the list is fewer than three, that is the project.
Ask without performing strength
'I am having a hard week.' Period. Do not follow it with 'but I am fine.' The 'but' is where the ask dies. Drop the 'but.'
Be specific about what you need
'Can you call me Friday?' 'Can you check on me Sunday?' Vague asks from strong people get vague responses, because the world assumes you are handling it.
Receive, don't redirect
When they ask how you are, you do not have to flip it back to them in the same breath. Sit in being the receiver. It is harder than it sounds. That is the practice.
Reciprocate later, not now
Right now, your job is the receiving. The reciprocation comes later, when you are back at full strength. Strong friends keep score in their head; let it go for now.