Asking for or accepting help can bring up a wide range of complicated emotions, like there’s the fear of being seen as needy or weak. Although accepting help from others is difficult, giving and receiving is a necessary part of life.

【小题1】. For many people, the difficulty in asking for or receiving help is tied to childhood. As psychologist Lisa Firestone points out, these feelings often develop from having our requests go unnoticed at an earlier age.

Sometimes these unnoticed requests are a result of neglect or because parents are too busy to notice. Maybe they were undertaking some jobs to make ends meet or didn’t have additional family support to spare. 【小题2】. When your needs go unnoticed, it can create feelings of shame about asking for or receiving help, while also forming an extreme sense of independence.

How do you get better at accepting help? One way to get better at accepting help is to start with small requests, such as asking for directions. 【小题3】. Practicing this in good environment can ease some of the emotions that can appear suddenly.

【小题4】. If you feel very uncomfortable, wait a few moments to let these feelings calm down before accepting or denying the help.

Helping others feels good. Although asking for help is hard, one way to make it a little easier is to focus on how it feels when you help others. 【小题5】.

Doing fitness routines is challenging and sometimes boring. Here is some advice on how to make exercise as fun as video games.

When you’re playing a game, there’s always an objective. It helps us focus on the task at hand and motivates us to keep playing until we win the game. 【小题1】 Create a clear fitness goal. Aim to walk 10,000 steps a day, for example, or try to run a total of 6 miles every week.

Adding an element of competition to your exercise routine can actually help you work out harder. If you’re seeking a similar motivation, look into fitness programs that encourage friendly competition. The app Zwift, for example, is a good choice. 【小题2】

Getting a group to work together toward a common goal was also an effective way to increase physical activity. You can try to recreate this dynamic by working toward an exercise goal with other people, particularly those who you have a close relationship to. 【小题3】 So grab a close friend or family member and bring them to the gym with you.

Some people love video games because there’s a lot of unpredictability and surprise. 【小题4】 You can recreate this sense of playfulness in your own exercises. For example, you can take photos of at least 5 different flowers on your neighborhood walk. Ride your bike from one friend’s house to another.

【小题5】 If exercise makes you feel slightly happy or adds some kind of meaning to your life, that’s great.

Do you spend too much on coffee? Clothing? Eating out? Adding your spending craziness to a “do-not-buy” list can keep money in your wallet, according to a writer Sarah Winfrey. A do-not-buy list is a list of items you’re not going to buy for a certain period of time, according to Winfrey. 【小题1】. She has a few tips on how to create your own do-not-buy list.

【小题2】. Do you always have to have a coffee on your way to work? Are you always the first in line to buy the newest fashion? Understanding your needs will help you figure out which items should be on the top of your list.

Track your spending. If you spend $6 a day on coffee, you probably already know what needs to go on your list. But if you’re not sure, you may need to go through your bank statements to figure it out. 【小题3】.

Don’t cut yourself off completely. 【小题4】, but only if it’s absolutely necessary. For example, if clothing is on your list but you need a new suit for a job interview, you should probably make an exception.

【小题5】. When you’ve saved enough and you’re already to start shopping again, establish spending rules that will control impulse buying (即兴购买). For example, if you love coffee, make a rule that you can only buy one each day.