People are often reluctant to ask for support, perhaps because we believe we should be able to do it all by ourselves.  Another reason may be that we are so busy focusing on other people's needs that we put ourselves last and don't even think about asking for help.  I have obserbved that this is especially true of people in caring roles, often women.

Unfortunately this increases our risk of suddenly becoming ill, or discovering we have a chronic condition that had been quietly developing while we were busy doing something else (as happened to me).  Finding ourselves in this situation we can then feel bad that we didn't do better and asking for support can be even more difficult.

Humans do best when we support each other.   When people come together in communities or when groups work together they can create the greatest potential for change.  So asking to be supported by others can be a truly philanthropic act, because by caring for ourselves we care for the world around us too.

Often we need the perspective of another person or other people to understand what's going on in our own lives.  Sometimes other people have expertise that can inform us, such as a qualified Nutrition Coach, and sometimes it's just a case of someone else being able to see something we're not able to see because we are too close to the issue. 

"If you want to eat more healthily in tune with your body then Kate is the person to go to. It has also been amazingly helpful talking about sugars...It's been eye openeing for me to work with Kate as my fear of food is diminishing and I genuinely feel as though I could start to have a positive relationship with my meals!"

Support can empower us to make healthier decisions and help us feel better when things are tough.  In particular receiving support from people who have been dealing with the same or similar difficulties can make us feel better.  Offering support to someone else in a similar position can also make us feel good (there's science that shows that being kind improves our health!).

In addition to my one-to-one Nutrition Coaching it is my intention to set up an online CRANES community to support each other.  Initially this will be free.