What is Self Help?
Self help is defined by yourdictionary.com as:
care for or betterment of oneself by one’s own efforts, as through study
Self help is a unique way to help yourself feel better or get better at something. It is different than going to a physician, a physical therapist, a coach, or a psychotherapist – professionals who work or partner with you to help you feel or get better. In contrast, self help depends exclusively on your personal ability to study information and put what you learn into practice. Self help is not a replacement for going to an expert but it can supplement the help of an expert and is, in general, a better strategy when you are striving for exceptional performance.
For example, seeking the help of a golf professional when learning to play golf is an excellent way to start. Once you learn the basics from the professional, you will benefit from practicing the skills of golf and studying how the best in the world play. Through practice and study you are helping yourself get better than you ever would by just taking instruction from the professional golfer. Your self help causes you to learn the skills more completely than if you depend on someone else and you get exposed to a broader variety of approaches to a particular skill than if you have only one instructor.
Perhaps a more relevant example for this site is learning how to manage anxiety. You are likely to benefit from an expert’s input on the basics of managing anxiety. You are also likely to get better at managing anxiety if, after mastering the basics, you study additional strategies for managing anxiety and work at implementing them. So, the cognitive strategies that you might learn from a psychologist (for example, avoiding overgeneralizing a fear of pit bulls to a fear of all dogs) become supplemented by regular exercise, progressive relaxation techniques, mindful disciplines like yoga, etc. – all supplementary strategies for managing anxiety.
The point is that self help can be a powerful ally in anyones’ effort to feel better or get better at something. The formula is to master the basics with help and then move into the more complex and refined strategies for doing better than average.
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