Journal Entry #16

In this activity, you will explore your beliefs and behaviors regarding giving and receiving.

1. Write and complete the following ten sentence stems:

1. A specific situation when someone assisted me was when I was learning how to drive.
2. A specific situation when I assisted someone else was when I helped them write an essay.
3. A specific situation when I made assisting someone else more important than my own success and happiness was when I was late to class because I picked my sister up from school early.
4. When someone asks me for assistance, I usually feel like I want to help them.
5. When I think of asking someone else for assistance I usually feel like I don't want them to feel like I am bugging them.
6. What usually gets in the way of my asking for help is fear of rejection.
7. If I often asked other people for assistance it would help clarify the things I have problems with doing on my own.
8. If I joyfully gave assistance to others they would come to me a lot more when they need help with something.
9. If I gratefully accepted assistance from others I could get things done faster, and the right way.
10. One goal that I could use assistance with today is getting the house clean by the time my mom comes home.

2. Write about what you discovered by completing the sentence stems in Step 1: Is your typical relationship to others (1) dependent, (2) codependent, (3) independent, or (4) interdependent?
Remember, to squeeze the most learning from your effort, dive deep!
For the most part I think my relationships are interdependent. I have no problem asking people I am close to and people who I know well, to help me when I need help. I help them with what they need help with and they help me. If its a school matter, and I don't understand, I'll usually ask the teacher later, or try to figure it out from myself, because I am not comfortable asking for help from people that I don't know well. There are some instances where I have been codependent, and I have put others needs before my own, but I learned from those mistakes, and I try to be different and make sure the favors I do for others don't affect me negatively in any way. But overall, I think my relationships are healthy. I'm not too dependent on others, and others aren't too dependent on me.