Who do you go to when you're falling apart?

 This is a question I saw on social media, and the comments had all sorts of answers, ranging from parents to siblings to friends to partners. But it made me wonder, what about those who don't go to anyone when they're falling apart? What if some of us have handled ourselves for so long that we don't know how to ask for help? Now, don't get me wrong, I love and respect my family and friends, and sooner or later, they do get to know if I was facing something. But maybe I just don't know how to break down in front of them. 

Growing up, some of us were told we were overreacting when we tried to open up, while others were told we were easy children who handled everything on our own very well. However, did we? We probably just started believing that we can't trust anyone but ourselves. Because what if we get ridiculed when we're pouring our hearts out? Or what if the other person is just indifferent to our concerns? Both of those scenarios lead to us getting hurt, but they also make us invisible to the third and the best-case scenario, where we'll feel safe and protected. 

This leads me to my next question: What do you do to make a person feel safe with you? How do you make sure that they feel like they can open up when they are with you? I don't really believe there's a straightforward answer to this one. But when nothing else works out, just being there in that moment with them does. Being there could be as simple as making them feel like you're just one call away, comforting them enough that they get on a video call while crying it all out, or maybe just holding their hand and sitting by their side till the anxiety wears off. 

And for the ones who are relating to this, I just want to tell you that you don't need to have it all together all the time. You don't have to be so strong all the time!