The path to recovery after a personal injury can feel overwhelming and isolating. When you’re in pain or disabled, there are a lot of things you won’t be able to do for yourself or your family. However, it can be hard to ask for help. For instance, maybe you’re hesitant to ask for help because you don’t want to burden others or feel you shouldn’t need to reach out. Struggling to ask for help is understandable, but support is crucial for your recovery.
Legal help can get you financial compensation
Legal support is perhaps the most important type of support next to medical care. When you file a lawsuit, you don’t want to do it on your own. Personal injury law is complex, and you need a lawyer to help you navigate the process. For instance, there are strict deadlines and procedural requirements you’ll need to follow and if you do something wrong, the judge isn’t going to make an exception for you.
When you bring your case to court, you’ll have to face an insurance company to get paid, and that will be daunting. They’ll make an offer to settle your case out of court, but it will be a lowball offer. Insurance companies never want to pay the true value of a case, and always attempt to undercut injured victims by offering the lowest possible dollar amount. If you don’t have a lawyer to negotiate for you, you’ll end up with a low settlement that may not even cover all of your medical bills. If you have other financial obligations, like household bills, and you’re losing pay from being out of work, you need a lawyer to get generous compensation.
Another reason legal help is advised is because a personal injury lawyer can identify all potential sources of compensation and damages you’re entitled to receive. For example, you could qualify for pain and suffering, but on your own, this is a tough damage to prove.
Emotional support aids healing
Stress and anxiety are known to slow healing. Having emotional support will help you heal much faster because it will make you feel appreciated and loved, which automatically lowers stress. Even getting help with physical tasks is rooted in emotional support. On the surface, it might seem like you just need someone to do your laundry, but they’re also supporting you emotionally by alleviating your stress and worry.
When you know you can rely on others to help you, you’ll feel more relaxed. Your body will be less likely to get stuck in fight or flight mode, where stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, are constantly being pumped out. This will help you heal faster.
The more you reduce negative emotions, stress, anxiety, and depression, the faster you’ll heal. In one study, patients who had greater than average symptoms of depression or anxiety were four times more likely to be classified as slow healers compared to those with less stress.
Physical limitations will cause chores to pile up
Perhaps one of the best reasons to ask for help is to avoid household chores piling up and creating even more overwhelm. If you’re experiencing physical limitations from your injury, getting support for managing your daily tasks is important. If you live with others, ask them to pull more weight around the house and assign specific tasks you know you can’t perform. If you need help with personal care, like bathing and grooming, hire a professional in-home caregiver for as long as you need.
Your dependents need your support
When you have dependents, any help you need is actually going to benefit them. If you can’t ask for assistance for yourself, at least ask for the people who depend on you. For instance, if you’re struggling to take your kids to and from school, try to find someone to give them a ride instead of making them take public transportation. Anytime you find yourself struggling to ask for help, remember that it’s ultimately for them, not you.
People want to help
Last, but not least, remember that people want to help others. Many are just waiting for the opportunity to be a contribution, and when you don’t reach out, you deprive the people in your life of the ability to support you. Chances are, you have people in your life who would gladly help if you asked. Whether you need emotional support, household chores, or legal advice, don’t be afraid to ask for the help you need.
