Difficulties asking for help? Step one: admit it.

How did she do that? Mrs. Besonen you have 

yoda drawing hands. I wave my magic (yet creepy)
hand and respond, "Patience, young Skywalker,
patience." I am an art teacher; I help people deal
with insecurities and uncertainty.
 

Coiled, Oil Painting Study
created when demonstrating
to my High School Painting students

Yes, I help people for a living, but I have to admit
I am horrible at asking for help. And that, I have
decided, is not a good example to my own daughters
or my students. When a recent surgery left me flat on
my back, dehydrated, in pain and whimpering like
a baby, it hit me. Even when I am in this state, I 
still don't want to ask for help. That is messed up,
and probably based on some lingering perfectionism
and a weird desire for people to read my mind and
help without being asked.

If being laid up and watching American Pickers on
the History channel has taught me anything, JUST
ASK. “People ask, ‘How did you get that?’
I asked.” Mike Wolfe, American Picker.

Here are some links to recent research about
what I call asking-for-help-impaired.
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2012/12/benevolent-sexism-puts-women-off-asking.html
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/research/flynn_ask.html
https://blogs.uchicago.edu/uei/learning/why_asking_for_help_is_a_neces.shtml
http://realsecretblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/asking-for-help-its-easier-than-you.html